I Know What You Did
by NickyM96
Summary: [MSR] Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.
1. Chapter 1

Title - I Know What You Did . . .  
  
Author - Nicky  
  
Rating - PG  
  
Classification - TRA  
  
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic  
  
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati  
  
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.  
  
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
Prologue  
  
A sharp knock on the door lets him know it's time. He knows before rising from the chair who it is and what they want. They come every so often, giving him little tasks to carry out. Each time he promises himself is the last. But a next time always comes. His targets are normally faceless and unknown to him. But this time . . . well, this time he can only pray that someone he loves doesn't end up dead.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Mulder pulls into the space he's claimed as his own. In all the times he's come over to her place, it's the space that always seems to be waiting on him. As if it's welcoming him home. He sighs and tries to shake those thoughts from his head. Because possibly after tonight, that spot may be welcoming a new owner.  
  
Scully had taken the day off, calling in just when he was beginning to wonder why she was so late.   
  
"Come over after work," she had said as she invited him over for dinner. "There's someone I want you to meet."  
  
Someone, he thinks, letting out another sigh. He knew this day would come eventually. The day when she'd realize there's more to life than the X-Files. The day when she'd meet a man who was deserving of a woman like her. As much as Mulder wants to be that man, he knows she deserves someone better than him.  
  
The ringing of his phone startles him. He takes it out his pocket and answers it in the usual fashion.  
  
"Are you just going to sit out there all night or what?" Scully's voice rings cheerfully through the line.   
  
"I'm on my way up now," he says as he exits the car, carefully looking both ways before crossing the street and going into her building.  
  
"Well hurry up," she playfully orders before hanging up the phone. Mulder places the phone back in his pocket, shaking his head with a little chuckle. Whoever this guy is, he makes her happy. Mulder can at least be grateful for that.  
  
He walks down the hall and stops in front of her door, raising his hand to knock when the door opens before he gets the chance.  
  
"Finally," she says, a broad grin spread across her face. She reaches for his hand and pulls him into the apartment. "I'm glad you're here."  
  
"Well, thank you for inviting me," he says, looking curiously around the room. He doesn't see anyone and turns to give her a questioning look.  
  
"He's in the kitchen," she explains. "I'll go get him."  
  
"No need," a voice from the doorway says.   
  
Mulder turns to find a man holding a bottle of wine and three glasses. He gives the glasses to Scully and sets the bottle on the table before offering his hand to Mulder.  
  
"You must be the partner, Fox Mulder. I've heard a lot about you," the man says, a small smile on his face.  
  
"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not," Mulder jokes as he shakes the man's hand. "What kinds of things have you heard?"  
  
"Depends on who I talk to," the man says with a chuckle, causing Scully to laugh with him. Mulder just stares at them both with a confused look on his face which makes Scully laugh even harder.  
  
"Excuse me?" Mulder asks. "Who do you usually talk to about me?"  
  
"Just family. Mom thinks the world of you. But Bill has his own colorful little descriptions of you."  
  
"You must be Charlie," Mulder smiles as realization dawns on him. "The invisible brother."  
  
"Invisible? Sis, what have you been telling him about me?" Charlie asks with a laugh.  
  
"Not much at all," Mulder tells him. "I thought I'd have to open an X-File to search for the elusive Charles Scully if I ever wanted to meet you. After all these years, I can't believe this is the first time."  
  
"Me either," Charlie nods. "I'll have to make sure to visit more in the future so we can get to know each other."  
  
"That's not what this dinner is about?" Mulder asks.  
  
"No. Charlie needs our help. Our professional help," Scully tells him. "Possibly a case. But it's kind of secret, so I thought it would be better to look at it here than at the office."  
  
"Evidence has a tendency to disappear when it can expose the wrong people," Mulder explains to Charlie. "Do you think this may be that type of evidence?"  
  
"Why don't I let you be the judge of that," Charlie says, going to the closet by the front door and grabbing a briefcase. He sets it on the coffee table in front of them and opens it, pulling out a smaller case. Inside that case is a folded piece of paper. He hands it to Mulder and watches the man open it.  
  
At his gasp, Scully leans over his shoulder to see what's on the paper.  
  
"Where did you get this?" Mulder asks quietly, his words having a hard time making a way past the lump that has suddenly formed in his throat. His hands begin to shake so badly that he allows Scully to take the paper from him before he drops it. He lifts his hands to his head to try to ward off the sharp pains that are developing.  
  
"Are you okay, Mulder?" Scully asks him, folding the paper back and hastily shutting it away in its case.  
  
"I'm fine," he mutters through clenched teeth. "Just a headache."  
  
"What's going on?" Charlie asks.   
  
"Where did you get this paper, Charlie?" Scully asks her brother, ignoring his question. "Do you realize what you have here?"  
  
"It's a rubbing from an artifact a friend of mine uncovered. He sent it to me because he knows about the kind of work the two of you do," Charlie explains, although his attention has shifted to the ailing man in front of him. "Is he really going to be okay? He doesn't look so good, Dana."  
  
"I think so," she tells him. "Just go put the case away and get him a glass a water."   
  
She watches her brother jump up to comply with her wishes, waiting until he disappeared into the kitchen before whispering to Mulder.  
  
"The voices again?"  
  
"Not so much this time," he tells her. "It's just a distracting buzz. And this time, the pain isn't crippling. I don't know why. The rubbing looks the same as the one found on that ship in Africa. But maybe it's different. It's not affecting me as much this time."  
  
"Are you sure you're going to be all right?" she asks, ignoring her own pain growing in the pit of her stomach. Not exactly the best time to be worried about cramps, she thinks to herself, noting mentally that it's nearing that time of the month.  
  
"I'm much better now," he tries to smile to reassure her. "But I think I will call it a night. I need to get away from that thing."  
  
"I don't blame you," she smiles sympathetically. "Will you be okay getting home?"  
  
"Don't worry about me," he says, taking her hand and giving it a little squeeze. He has to hide his reaction to the increasing volume the buzzing noise makes at the movement. She'd make him go to the hospital if she knew he's still being affected by the rubbing.  
  
"Take care of yourself. And call me if you need anything, Mulder. Anything at all," she makes him promise. When he nods in agreement, she walks him to the front door and lets him out. Charlie returns with the glass of water just as she's closing the front door.  
  
"Where's Mulder?"  
  
"He's going home. He just needs some rest," she tells him, trying to avoid explaining the real reason Mulder left.  
  
"You look kind of tired too, Dana. Why don't you go get some rest? Besides, my flight leaves pretty early in the morning. I should get to bed myself."  
  
"You're leaving so soon? But you just got here, Charlie. And I haven't seen you in such a long time," she whines. But she doesn't want to admit how much the idea of crawling into bed appeals to her. Her cramps are starting to bother her more and more.  
  
"You're dead on your feet, Dana," he points out. "Go to bed. It wouldn't do my ego any good for my big sister to fall asleep in the middle of a conversation."  
  
"Okay, okay. You win. I'll go to bed now. But promise me we can have breakfast in the morning. No matter how early you have to leave."  
  
"Sure," he says, finding a spot on the floor by his shoes suddenly fascinating. "I'll see you in the morning."  
  
She notices his evasion and is about to call him on it when another wave of cramps hits. She decides to let it go for the moment in favor of her hot water bottle and ibuprofen. She'll talk to him in the morning.  
  
"Night night, Chuckie Pie," she says with a giggle as his cheeks redden.  
  
He rolls his eyes at the childhood nickname he hasn't heard in years as she walks back into her bedroom and closes the door. As the lock clicks into place, he sighs in relief. He doesn't fully understand what happened or why they even sent him on this mission, but he's glad it's over. And that everyone still seems to be intact. It's a better outcome than he hoped for.  
  
Charlie is awakened later that evening by a sound floating through the wall of the guest bedroom. He sits up in the bed and listens intently until he hears the sound again. The unmistakable sound of someone crying out. He runs down the hall to his sister's bedroom and forces his way inside.  
  
"Dana," he calls out to the crying woman. She's bent over in half, huddled on the bed in a tight ball. "Dana, what's the matter?"  
  
"It hurts," she gasps through her tears. "Make the pain stop."  
  
He's certain that whatever's wrong with her is his fault. Every time those people send him on a mission like this, someone ends up hurt. He doesn't know why he ever thought this time would be different. But this time, he's going to do something about it. He's not going to let them get away with hurting his sister.  
  
He reaches over to her nightstand and picks up the phone, swiftly dialing a number.  
  
"It's me," he says. "What did you do to her? What is that thing I brought into this house?"  
  
"Calm down," the raspy voice on the other end of the phone demands. "We'll be there to take care of her."  
  
Charlie's about to protest when he hears the call disconnect. Not knowing what else to do, he takes his sister's hand and tries to comfort her. And he prays that by calling his employer, he didn't make matters any worse.  
  
A team arrive less than an hour later and forces him out of the room. He paces around the living room for the twenty minutes they're in there with her. When they're done, they leave as quietly as they arrived. He pays them no mind and rushes back to his sister's bedroom where she's now sleeping peacefully and painlessly. It's like nothing was ever wrong in the first place. Thankfully, whatever they just did seems to have fixed whatever they had originally broken. He doubts she'll even remember what happened in the morning. Perhaps it's for the best, he thinks with a sigh before closing the door and going back to the guest bedroom. He needs to pack. And hopefully be gone before she wakes up.   
  
To be continued . . . 


	2. Chapter 2

Title - I Know What You Did . . .  
  
Author - Nicky  
  
Rating - PG  
  
Classification - TRA  
  
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic  
  
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati  
  
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.  
  
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Mulder knocks on the connecting door of the hotel room and waits for her to acknowledge him. When she doesn't answer him, he walks right in, hoping she hasn't overslept again.  
  
"Scully," he calls when he sees her still form on the bed. "Rise and shine, Sleepyhead. It's time to get up."  
  
"I am up," she says with a yawn from under the covers. "Just resting my eyes."  
  
"Come on, Scully. If you don't get up, we're going to be late again. And I was hoping to get some breakfast this morning."  
  
"Breakfast?" she asks, sitting up suddenly. "Breakfast sounds good."  
  
"Yeah, but you might want to get dressed first," he suggests, looking down at her sleep shirt. "Why don't you get up and get ready and I'll bring something back for you to eat. That way, we shouldn't be too late for the meeting with the sheriff."  
  
"You know, Mulder," she says, climbing out of bed and walking towards the bathroom. "We've been here in Tulsa for almost a week. And I'm still not convinced this case is an X-File."  
  
She closes the door behind her for some privacy while he yells at her through the door.  
  
"But Scully, how else would you explain the sudden growth in the rate these teenage girls are disappearing around here? I think they're being abducted."  
  
"That's a possibility," her muffled voice says. "But not by aliens."  
  
"By what else then?" he asks. He laughs out loud at the look he knows is on her face right about now. He's about to say something to that effect when her cell phone starts ringing. He spots it on the dresser and answers it.  
  
"Dana Scully's phone. Can I help you?"  
  
"Who is . . . Mulder? Is that you?" the voice on the other end asks.  
  
"Yes. May I ask who's calling?"  
  
"It's me. Charlie."  
  
"Charlie. Hey, man. How's it going? Your sister's been going crazy wondering where you went. You just disappeared from her house last month," he says into the phone before yelling to Scully that Charlie's on the line.   
  
"I left a note," Charlie explains. "Didn't she get it?"  
  
"I got your note, Charles Scully," Scully says, grabbing the phone from Mulder. "But why did you sneak out like that? And then why haven't you called me in almost a month?"  
  
"Something came up, Dana. Just like I told you in the note."  
  
"Whatever," she sighs. "It's good to hear from you."  
  
"I'm sorry I worried you, Sis. How are you doing? Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm good, Charlie," she says, a little suspicious by the amount of concern he seems to be displaying. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Can't I worry about my big sister?" he asks jokingly, trying to laugh off her question. "But now that I know you're fine and you know I'm fine, I have to go. Talk to you later. Bye."  
  
The phone hangs up in her ear and she stares at it for a moment before putting it away.  
  
"Everything okay?" Mulder asks.  
  
"I guess so," she shrugs. "Charlie has always been the dramatic one, though. But he's also the one who's always managed to get himself into the most trouble. I hope he's not in any trouble now."  
  
"If he is, I'm sure he'd come to you. Just like when he had the question about that artifact last month. He came straight to you with it. I wouldn't worry so much."  
  
"I guess you're right," she says, suddenly distracted by her growling stomach. "Now, didn't you mention something about breakfast? Let me finished getting dressed and we can go. I'm starving."  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
Charlie stares anxiously at his ringing phone, trying to mentally decide if it will be better to answer it or not. These people just won't leave him alone. He sighs in relief when the ringing stops. He just doesn't feel like dealing with them.  
  
That trip to his sister's last month was the final straw. He's never been as scared as he was that night, watching Dana writhe in so much pain. He's been afraid to talk to her since then, not sure if she'd remember what happened or not. But apparently she didn't. She didn't even mention it when he spoke with her.  
  
He rolls his eyes when the phone starts to ring again. They're not going to stop, he realizes. May as well talk to them and get it over with.  
  
"Yes," he says when he picks up the phone.  
  
"Don't ever make me have to track you down, Mr. Scully," a chilling voice warns. "You won't like it, I assure you."  
  
"And don't ever send me to someone I care about," Charlie shoots back. "Because you won't like the results either."  
  
"I don't think you're in any position to toss around idle threats. Not unless you want everyone to know your little secret."  
  
"What if I said I didn't care anymore?" Charlie bluffs. "I'm tired of you holding it over my head. I'm going to confess all and just deal with the consequences. Hopefully my family will forgive me."  
  
"You're just worried about their forgiveness?" The caller laughs a haunting little melody that raises all the hairs on Charlie's arms. "You're assuming that after dealing with my consequences, you'll have family left to beg forgiveness from."  
  
"What are you saying? Are you threatening to harm them in any way?"  
  
"Mr. Scully, think what you'd like. But I'd suggest you keep what you know to yourself and continue to avail yourself to us. You don't want to be on the wrong side of this. Just ask your sister and her partner. By the way, how are they doing after your little visit with them?"  
  
"My sister is fine," Charlie insists. "I just spoke with her."  
  
"Is she really? I hope you're right."  
  
Charlie jumps at the sound of the phone clicking in his ear. The caller hung up on him, leaving him with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. What has he done? What has he allowed them to do to his sister? He left her alone with them while they supposedly fixed whatever was wrong with her. But what if they didn't fix anything after all? His employer is right. He doesn't have a choice but to comply. Because now, it's not only his integrity at risk. It's the welfare of his loved ones. He refuses to let anyone else die because of a mistake he made.   
  
* * * * * * *  
  
The waitress comes by the table to bring the bill. Mulder's eyes bulge slightly at the total, almost twice what it usually is.  
  
"Gee Scully, you weren't kidding when you said you were hungry. Look at this bill. I don't think I've ever seen you eat this much. Accounting isn't going to believe this expense report," he says, holding back his amusement.  
  
"I didn't eat that much," she objects.  
  
"Here's that pie you ordered to go, ma'am," the young waitress says as she places a box in front of Scully. Mulder can't hold his laughter anymore.  
  
"What?" Scully queries innocently. "It was good pie."  
  
"Scully even *I* don't eat pie for breakfast," he chuckles.  
  
"Shut up, Mulder," she says, rolling her eyes. She picks up her pie and stalks off angrily to the car, leaving him to pay the bill.  
  
He catches up with her and tries to apologize before starting the car.  
  
"Look, Scully. I didn't mean to . . . "  
  
"It's okay, Mulder," she says, shaking her head. "I just over reacted. I've been so tired this past month, worrying about Charlie. I think it's just finally catching up with me."  
  
"I didn't realize you were that worried," he says. Or that tired, he thinks to himself as he realizes how exhausted she looks. And he realizes that her health should be more important to him than some stupid case. "I think you're right about this case. It probably isn't even an X-File. Why don't we just turn this over to the local police to handle?"  
  
"Are you sure, Mulder?" She tries not to let him see how visibly relieved that decision makes her.  
  
"It's probably for the best," he nods. "I'll go to the police station to let the sheriff know we're leaving. In the mean time, I'll drop you to the hotel so you can pack and check out. I should be back in about an hour."  
  
But things at the police station take longer than he anticipated. He promised Scully an hour and it's been almost twice that. He makes his way back to the hotel with an apology already planned for her. But when he gets to her room, all words leave his mind.  
  
"Scully?" he calls, looking around the empty room for the woman. He hears sounds from the bathroom and finds her in there, bent over the toilet losing probably every morsel of food consumed over the past week.  
  
"You okay?" he asks when she finishes, handing her a cool, wet washcloth.  
  
"That big breakfast might not have been such a good idea," she groans, wiping her mouth. She stands on shaky legs and makes it to the sink to rinse her mouth. "And I definitely shouldn't have eaten the rest of that pie."  
  
"Are you going to be okay to travel?"  
  
"I'm fine now," she promises him. "Don't worry so much about me."  
  
"I can't help it," he says, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "You're my partner. It my job to look out for you."  
  
He pulls away when he gets the overwhelming feeling that she's about to cry. He knows how much she hates for anyone to see her upset.  
  
"I'm going to put the luggage in the car," he says.   
  
She just nods, unable to say anything without risking crying. She's glad he left when he did. It's like he could hear her silent pleas to let her cry in peace. That in itself makes her want to cry even more.  
  
She can't believe how emotional she's being. She just didn't expect his sweet words or tender touch. And she certainly didn't expect them to affect her so much. But then again, she hasn't been herself lately. Hopefully, all she needs is to get home and get some rest. She's sure she'll be back to herself in no time.  
  
To be continued . . . 


	3. Chapter 3

Title - I Know What You Did . . .  
  
Author - Nicky  
  
Rating - PG  
  
Classification - TRA  
  
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic  
  
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati  
  
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.  
  
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Mulder checks his watch for the fourth time and then shoots Skinner another apologetic look. His partner is officially late for this meeting. And he can't think of any other excuse to make for her.  
  
"Sir, I'm really sorry. I don't know where Agent Scully could be," he says, looking at the door, almost willing her to come in.  
  
"We'll start without her," the assistant director grumbles, clearly annoyed by the other agent's absence. He looks to the door to give her one final chance to show up before continuing. "I called this meeting to talk about that kidnapping case in Tulsa you and Agent Scully investigated last month. I was a bit surprised at your conclusions."  
  
"Well, Agent Scully and I decided that the case wasn't an X-File. We weren't really needed there. It was a matter for the local authorities to handle," he says quickly, feeling much like he's rambling. He really wanted to stay and do more investigation into the matter, but Scully seemed so sick and tired that day. Dropping the case just seemed like the best thing to do.  
  
"What about the cases you two have investigated in the month since then?" Skinner asks, skimming through a file on the desk on front of him. "Six out of the eight were also turned over to local authorities."  
  
"Sir, we're not trying to shirk our responsibilities . . . "  
  
"That's not what I'm suggesting, Agent Mulder," Skinner interrupts. He shocks Mulder by pasting on a small smile. "You're not in any trouble today. Quite the opposite, in fact."  
  
"Excuse me?" Mulder asks, clearly confused.  
  
"That's really what I was trying to wait for Agent Scully to show up. This is a meeting to commend the two of you on the way you've been handling your work lately. You're not running off half-cocked after any and every report of lights in the sky. You seem to be putting more effort into to discerning between cases that truly need your expertise and ones that are just hoaxes. All of the cases you decided to drop were solved within a few days once the local police started doing their jobs instead of calling for the, no offense, 'Spooky Patrol' when things get a little hairy."  
  
"None taken, Sir," Mulder says with a smile, still relieved that he's not in trouble. These types of meetings with Skinner usually end up with him apologizing profusely for some reckless act that almost got him and Scully both fired. It's nice not to be yelled at for a change.   
  
The feeling, however, is bittersweet. Because the reason they've been dropping so many of the cases the past month has been because of Scully and her seemingly declining health. Mulder has tried not to mention anything to her so she won't think he's hovering. But enough is enough. It doesn't appear like she even made it in to work today. He's decided that she's going to see a doctor to find out what's wrong if he has to drag her there himself.  
  
His plans to do such a thing are momentarily put on hold when the door bursts open. He looks up and finds his partner standing there, looking not much better than death warmed over. She looks weaker than he'd seen her since her cancer. Well, at least in this state she won't put up much of a fight when he takes her to be examined.  
  
"Sorry I'm late," she mutters with a hoarse, raspy voice. "Something came up."  
  
"It's okay, Agent Scully," Skinner says kindly, his previous anger at her tardiness gone after also noticing her sickly pallor. "Agent Mulder and I were just finishing. I'll let him fill you in on our discuss- Agent Scully, are you okay?" He stops midsentence when he notices her pale complexion suddenly turn greenish in hue.  
  
"Sorry, Sir," she groans. "It's just your aftershave. Do you wear that everyday? Because today it's making me kind of nauseous." She covers her mouth with her hand, barely stopping herself from gagging.  
  
"Sir, Agent Scully and I will be leaving now," Mulder says quickly before Skinner can react to the Scully's unwitting insult. He grabs onto the woman's arm and leads her out the door and down the hall to the elevators, somehow knowing her sudden desire to be out of that office as quickly as possible.  
  
"Thanks for getting me out of there," she says with a sigh of relief.  
  
"Yeah, well if I didn't, we might both be looking for new jobs," he chuckles. "It's not usually common for employees to tell their bosses they stink."  
  
"I couldn't help it, Mulder. I thought I was going to puke." She closes her eyes and rests her head in his hand that is now somehow cupping her cheek.  
  
"You really are sick, aren't you?" he asks sympathetically even though he can practically hear the obvious answer blaring in his head. "Are you sure you're up to work today?"  
  
"I'm fine," she says, stepping suddenly away from his embrace. "But I do think I should go home right now. Can you come over later? There's something I want to talk to you about."  
  
"How about I drive you now?" He offers, worried not only about her well being, but also about what she has to tell him. He knows he won't be able to wait until the end of the day to find out.  
  
She tries to protest, but he quickly wins the argument, leading her out to her car and taking her keys. The drive to her apartment is made in complete silence. By the time he's seated in her living room, his heart is beating so fast he's sure she can hear it. He's terrified now about what she's going to say. It's obviously very serious.  
  
"Would you like something to drink?" she offers as he takes a seat on one end of her couch. She sits on the other end, a cushion separating them.  
  
"No thanks. I'm good," he manages to say. A drink is the last thing on his mind. He somehow knows it's just a stalling tactic, though. He decides to cut to the chase and ask Scully directly the question that's been plaguing him for the past two months. "What's going on, Scully?"  
  
"You're getting right to the point, aren't you?" she chuckles nervously.  
  
"I figure this is the best way. The quick approach is usually less painful. At least it was when I was eight and practically lived with bandages on my knees." His heart soars for a moment when a small smile tugs on her lips.  
  
"Okay. I'll get right to it then," she says, taking a deep breath before continuing. "For the past month or so, I haven't . . . well, things haven't been quite right with me."  
  
"I've noticed," he nods, encouraging her to go on.  
  
"You have? What kinds of things have you noticed?"  
  
"You've been tired. More tired than usual. Sick. I know you've tried to hide it from me, but I know there are times when the nausea gets the better of you. I think you've been in the bathroom more than our office," he smiles briefly. "You look like you've lost some weight. But I guess that's normal since you haven't been able to keep much down. Not for lack of trying, though. I've also noticed how much more you've been eating. If I didn't know you better, I'd wonder if you had some sort of eating disorder."  
  
She looks at him and notices his expression is half joking, half questioning. She decides not to keep him guessing any longer.  
  
"You've been very perceptive. You're wrong about the eating disorder, but you're right about everything else. I had all those symptoms and then some. I thought it was the flu. But after it lasted a few weeks, I realized it had to be something more serious. So I made an appointment with my doctor."  
  
"Is it . . . is it the cancer?" he practically whispers, partially afraid that by speaking it aloud, it will become true.  
  
"No," she shakes her head vehemently. "It's not that, trust me. My cancer is still in remission." She smiles a little at the noticeable relief on his face.  
  
"You're sure? They did tests to be sure?"  
  
"Yes, Mulder," she smiles. "They ran every test I could think for them to run. Then they ran some that I never would imagine I'd ever need."  
  
"So do they know what's wrong with you?" he asks warily.  
  
"Nothing, Mulder. I told you before, I'm fine. I'm perfectly healthy," she assures him. But it only seems to add to his confusion.  
  
"Then what's making you . . ."  
  
"I'm pregnant," she says, cutting him off.  
  
The room is deadly quiet for long moments. She's not even sure Mulder is still breathing.  
  
"You're what?" he finally says just as she wonders if he heard what she said.  
  
"I'm pregnant, Mulder," she repeats.  
  
"But . . . how? I mean, I know how things like that usually happen. But . . . Scully, I thought they said . . . that you . . . but now you're . . . I don't understand how . . . " He gives up trying to put his thoughts into words and just stares at her with his mouth wide open.  
  
"How something like this could happen?" she asks, managing to verbalize his question. At his wordless nod, she continues. "This is going to sound strange, but I don't know either. I mean, I honestly have no idea."   
  
She's been asking herself the same question, but voicing it out loud makes it sink in. She has no clue how she came to be pregnant. That thought terrifies her. The tears she's been trying to hold back finally make their way to the surface and begin to drench her face.   
  
"Scully, I'm sorry," he whispers, leaning over to hug her. She jumps up before he can embrace her, pacing the floor with a wild, nervous energy.  
  
"Mulder, I'm pregnant," she says. "A child is growing inside of me and I can't for the life of me figure out how it got in there."  
  
"I'm assuming the usual way," he offers helpfully. But the thought of her being with another man is slowly killing him. Not that she owes him anything. He just thought she was being as faithful to him and he has been to her.  
  
"The usual way?" she asks incredulously. "Let's for a minute just ignore the long standing medical fact that I am physically incapable of conceiving a child. I learned a long time ago, Mulder, about the birds and the bees. A very significant event usually takes place before a baby. And it's been . . . " She stops suddenly, looking down to hide her flushed cheeks. She flops back on the sofa, her face hidden behind her hands.  
  
"It's been what?"  
  
"Well, it's been a while since I've um, participated in said event," she mumbles.  
  
"You're a beautiful woman, Scully," he says reverently, gazing at her for a moment with silent wanting before shaking himself mentally and forcing himself to continue the train of thought. "I'm sure you've had to fight the guys away."  
  
"If only that were true," she chuckles lightly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "The guys have long stopped coming after me."  
  
"I doubt that," he says in disbelief, his look turning to shock when she nods her head. "So you're really trying to tell me that there isn't a guy? No candidate for fatherhood?"  
  
"Like I said before, Mulder. It's been a while. So I think I would have remembered if it had happened recently. Besides, the only guys to even cross the doorway to my apartment recently have been you and my brother, Charlie."  
  
"That time he came to visit a few months ago," Mulder says as a thought suddenly comes to him. "When he brought the rubbing from that artifact."  
  
"Yeah," she nods. "But even before that, Mulder. I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but I don't think I've gone out on a date in years. Except for that fiasco in Philadelphia. And we all know how that turned out."  
  
She pauses to sigh, not noticing that he's barely listening to her.  
  
"I guess I just . . . I don't know. I just haven't met the right guy. Nobody seems to give me what you already do," she says with a blush at what she's about to admit. "Especially these past few months. We've been closer than usual. It seems like you know me better than anyone ever has. Like you know exactly what I'm thinking."  
  
"Exactly," he says, jumping up off the couch and running hand through his already messy hair. "It *has* been like that. Ever since Charlie came with that rubbing. Maybe it affected me more than we thought. Maybe it affected both of us."  
  
"What do you mean, Mulder?"  
  
"It's like you just said. For the past few months, it's been like . . . I don't really know how to explain this. I've just known so much about what you were thinking without you telling me. It's like I heard your voice in my head. I thought that we've just known each other so long that I'm now able to have both sides of our arguments," he laughs. "But maybe it's something more."  
  
"Like what happened to you the first time you came in contact with those rubbings and could read minds?"  
  
"Sort of. But this time it's different. It's not as loud. And I don't hear the voices all the time."  
  
"How about now? Can you hear what I'm thinking?"  
  
"I don't know. Think of a number and I'll try to guess it," he tells her. He closes his eyes for a moment and throws out a guess. "49?"  
  
"No," she sighs, not sure if she more relieved he can't hear her thoughts or disappointed because she wants him to. She pats his shoulder, about to tell him the correct answer when his eyes suddenly pop open in shock.  
  
"72," he says with a shaky voice. "That's the number, isn't it?"  
  
"How did you . . . "  
  
"It happened when you touched me. All of a sudden, I could hear your voice inside my head as clearly as when you talk out loud to me."  
  
"And you think the rubbing did that? Made you able to read minds again?"  
  
"What else could it be?" he asks with a shrug. "And I think it also has something to do with your current . . . predicament. Maybe it somehow made it possible for you to conceive again."  
  
"Maybe. But that still doesn't explain how I got pregnant," she points out.  
  
"No. It doesn't," he sighs, biting his lip in frustration.   
  
"And that's what's scaring me more than anything. Mulder, what happened to me? And when? Why don't I remember?"  
  
"I don't know," he whispers, pulling her into his arms. This time she allows it, tucking herself eagerly into his embrace. "But we have to figure out. For your sake . . . and for this baby."  
  
"What if it isn't my baby?" she wonders aloud. "What if this isn't even a baby at all? I don't know which option is more terrifying. And more terrifying than the what is the how? How did whatever it is get inside of me? Was I taken again? Was I attacked? Raped? And just blocked it all out?"  
  
"I don't know," he whispers, trying hard to hold back his own tears as he comforts her. "I just don't know. But we'll find out. We'll do what we do best and investigate this. Treat this like a case. We'll start with the evidence we have on hand. And right now, the only evidence is inside you."  
  
"Since I couldn't give them an approximate conception date, the doctors and I came up with the estimate that I'm about 8 or 9 weeks along based on the ultrasound and description of my symptoms. So we unfortunately won't be able to get much viable evidence for at least another 6 weeks when an amniocentesis can safely be done. What should we do until then?"  
  
"Then we go back even further. We find out what we can about that rubbing. I have a feeling it's the key to this whole thing."  
  
She silently agrees with him, snuggling as close to him as she can get. She feels safe with him. And she finds herself wishing he'd never let her go. Hoping he won't ever leave her.  
  
"I'll take care of you the best way I can," he promises quietly, giving her a quick peck on her forehead. "I know you're confused and scared. I'm scared too. But we'll get through this just like we get through everything - together. I'm not going anywhere, Scully."  
  
That promise makes her feel better than she would have ever imagined. She knew Mulder would never leave her, but hearing it makes all the difference. She breathes a sigh of relief and allows the beating of his heart under her ear to lull her to the first peaceful sleep she's had in weeks.  
  
To be continued . . . 


	4. Chapter 4

Title - I Know What You Did . . .  
  
Author - Nicky  
  
Rating - PG  
  
Classification - TRA  
  
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic  
  
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati  
  
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.  
  
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
It's Wednesday, Charlie thinks to himself with a sigh. He looks at the clock as he rolls over in bed. Still early. He can still hear his wife and children bustling around the house preparing for their day. She works, even though he tells her she doesn't have to. His mysterious employer compensates him well. Of course, it's probably for the best that she works. She feels she contributes to the household income and therefore doesn't question how they're able to afford the nice house they live in or the private school their sons attend. His salary from the college is far from paltry, but it's nowhere near enough to cover those expenses.  
  
His wife unexpectedly pokes her head in the door, startling him from his ruminations.  
  
"Charlie, Hon, there's someone downstairs to see you," she says with a cheery smile before turning to go finish getting the boys their breakfast.   
  
He panics, wondering the cause behind this visit. When there's an assignment, they usually wait until his wife is gone for the day. They've never shown up with her here. This must be a warning for him, he thinks as he throws on some clothes. Punishment for his threats the other day. He really was just bluffing. He has no intention of telling his wife anything about his arrangement with those people. At least not now. But now that they're here, he may not have a choice. Taking a deep breath for courage, he opens the bedroom door and walks quickly down the stairs.  
  
The sight in his living room shocks him, forcing all the air to escape from his lungs.  
  
"Dana?" he gasps before forcing himself to get control of his breathing again. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Scully looks up and smiles at her approaching brother.   
  
"Is that anyway to welcome your big sister?" she asks with a smile, standing up to give him a hug.  
  
"I'm just surprised, that's all." He forces his own smile to keep her from getting too suspicious. "You here alone?"  
  
"No, Mulder came out with me. But he's helping Phoebe get the boys settled out in the car. I'm afraid a surprise visit from Aunt Dana got them a bit riled up."  
  
"Yes, well it's certainly unexpected," he says, runny a shaking hand through his reddish blond locks.   
  
"You okay, Charlie?" she asks when he notices his nervousness.  
  
"Of course," he says quickly. "How about you? Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine," she says, turning around when Mulder walks back into the house. She's a bit disappointed. She wanted to have a little bit of time to spend with her brother before they started questioning him about the rubbing from the artifact.  
  
"Hi Charlie," Mulder says as he waves to the man. "It's good to see you again. Did your sister explain to you why we're here?"  
  
"No. I was just getting to that," Scully says. "This is about when you came to visit two months ago."  
  
"You brought something for us to look at. A rubbing from an artifact of some kind," Mulder adds. "We were curious where you got it."  
  
"It was just some guy down at the school," Charlie lies. "An associate professor I work with. He kind of wanted to remain anonymous."  
  
"We need a name, Charlie," Scully says.  
  
"Is this guy in some kind of trouble?" Charlie asks. He curiously watches the glances between his sister and her partner. It makes him even more nervous than he already is. The fact that they're questioning that night scares him.  
  
"We just have questions about the artifact," Mulder explains.  
  
"That's the thing. He doesn't know anything about it," Charlie says, fumbling for an excuse. "He was, um, in the library and checked out this obscure text and found it tucked in between the pages."  
  
"An obscure text?" Scully asks incredulously. "This obscure text got a name?"  
  
"You know, I can ask him today," Charlie says, looking down at his watch. "Would you look at that? I'm going to be late for my first class." He rises and politely escorts him to the door. "You going to be in town long? I'm sure Phoebe and the boys would love for you two to join us for dinner."  
  
"Sorry, we can't," Scully frowns. "We have to get back to DC by this afternoon."  
  
"Too bad," Charlie sighs, trying not to show too much relief on his face. "Maybe next time."  
  
"Yeah. Next time." Scully reaches up to give her brother a big hug. "See you later, Charlie. Take care."  
  
"Good seeing you again," Mulder says, offering the man his hand to shake. "Call us when you get the name of that book."  
  
"Of course. Have a good trip," Charlie says quickly. It's taking everything in him not to push them out the door and slam it in their faces. But, they finally leave and relief comes to him with each step they make towards the car. He closes the door when they pull out of the driveway, happy to be rid of them. He doesn't see the other car parked halfway down the street watching his every move.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"So, straight to the airport?" Mulder asks his partner as she looks silently out the window.  
  
"He lied to me, Mulder," Scully practically whispers. "Charlie lied."  
  
"I figured as much," he nods. "I bet he knows more about that rubbing than he's saying."  
  
"That would be a safe bet to make seeing as how he fabricated that entire story," she huffs.  
  
"How do you know he made it up?"  
  
"Actually, he didn't make it up. My dad did. It's a thinly veiled take on a story he used to tell us when we were kids. A bored professor is doing research one day and comes across a mysterious paper pressed between the pages of an even more mysterious book. It was Charlie's favorite story. There's no way I'd forget that."  
  
"So maybe that's why he told it to you," Mulder offers. "Maybe that's his way of letting you know he needs help."  
  
"What do you mean, Mulder? Why wouldn't he just ask for help?"  
  
"Maybe he can't. Think about it, Scully. Why would he speak in a code that only you would understand?"  
  
"Because someone else might be listening," she says, suddenly understanding the point Mulder's trying to make.   
  
"Exactly. So we need to get to your brother and let him know that there is another way he'd be able to communicate with us," Mulder says cryptically. He smiles at the confused look on her face and decides to explain it to her. "Let's just say that it may be time for me to practice my new mind reading trick."  
  
"I think it could work," she smiles. "Good idea, Mulder. Now, let's get back to my brother's house. I have to pee."  
  
"Thank you for sharing," he says with a cringe, pulling into the turning lane to make a u-turn at the intersection. "It's some sort of pregnancy thing, right? Your uterus is growing and putting pressure on your bladder causing you to make those frequent bathroom trips."  
  
"How do you know that?" she asks, amazed at the depths of his knowledge. But also a little amused at how his comment sounded like it came straight from a textbook.  
  
"I've been reading up," he blushes. "I knew absolutely nothing about pregnancy. I wanted to be prepared on how to handle everything from morning sickness to the delivery room."  
  
"That's really sweet, Mulder. Thank you." She tries hard to hold back the tears, but they refuse to listen to her. For a woman used to controlling everything, it's frustrating to stand by helplessly while her emotions take over.  
  
"You're crying," he points out.  
  
"I'm okay," she promises. "It's just hormones. I think my mood swings have been the hardest thing to get used to."  
  
"Mood swings? I don't think I've gotten to that chapter yet," he frowns. But she laughs. And to him, it's the most beautiful sound. He takes his eyes off the road for a second to just look at her being happy for once. Despite all of her sickness, this pregnancy seems to be agreeing with her.  
  
"Mulder, pull over right now," she says, snapping him from his daydream.  
  
"What?" he asks as he complies. "Why? What's going on? Charlie's house is a half a block away."  
  
"Right. But there's a car parked right in front of it," Scully says, pointing to the vehicle. "There's a man sitting inside of it with what looks like a camera. I think he's surveilling Charlie. You were right, Mulder. Looks like my baby brother has gotten himself into a mess. What should we do now?"  
  
"Nothing, right now. We'll come back tonight for that dinner he invited us to. That way, our presence won't be too suspicious to whoever is watching him."  
  
"Who do you think is watching him, Mulder?" she asks warily. "And why? Do you think it has anything to do with us or that rubbing? Do you think they're responsible for . . . " She looks down at her stomach, placing a hand there.  
  
"I can't answer that," he whispers. He places his hand on top of hers. "Let's just hope that Charlie will be able to."  
  
"Yeah," she sighs. "So until tonight, there's nothing we can do. How about we-"  
  
"I know, I know," he interrupts. "How about we go feed Junior. I heard you in here." He taps his forehead. "Is food all you think about now?"  
  
"Just about," she smiles. "Now feed me before it gets ugly in here."  
  
"Yes Ma'am," he teases, giving her a little salute before starting the car again. She just doesn't know, he thinks to himself. He'd do anything for her. All she has to do is ask. Right now it's just food. But hopefully one day she'll want more. And when she does, he'll be right there.  
  
To be continued . . . 


	5. Chapter 5

Title - I Know What You Did . . .  
  
Author - Nicky  
  
Rating - PG  
  
Classification - TRA  
  
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic  
  
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati  
  
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.  
  
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Charlie looks up from the book he's reading when he hears the doorbell ring. After yelling to his wife that he'll get it, he walks to the door and opens it. A small gasp of shock escapes his lips when he sees his visitors. This is definitely the last thing he expected to deal with tonight.  
  
"Aren't you going to invite us in?"  
  
Charlie moves wordlessly to the side as his sister enters his home, followed closely by her partner.  
  
"I thought you two had to get back to DC," he manages to say over his shock. When he invited them to dinner earlier that day, he didn't think they'd actually accept his offer.  
  
"Our plans changed," Scully shrugs. "And I'm glad they did. Something smells great. I'm going to go into the kitchen and see if Phoebe needs any help."  
  
"She has a big appetite these days," Mulder says with a chuckle. "I hope this isn't too much of an imposition."  
  
"Not at all," Charlie says. "Phoebe always seems to cook as though we're having company, even when it's just us and the boys. There will be plenty."  
  
"I wasn't talking about that. You don't seem too thrilled to have us here."  
  
"It's not that. It's just . . . "  
  
"You don't have to say anything," Mulder whispers. He slips a piece of paper into Charlie's hand and motions for him to read it. "You have a little spot of something on your face. Why don't you go into the bathroom and check it out."  
  
Fortunately the man is able to take a hint. He surreptitiously tucks the paper into his pocket and quickly exits the room to read it privately. Scully peeks her head from out of the kitchen and catches his eye. He gives her a slight nod to let him know that everything is going according to the plan right now. All they need now is for Charlie to cooperate.  
  
* * * * *   
  
They try to enjoy dinner, but after an hour of forced conversation, Charlie's wife excuses herself and takes the children up to bed. Scully goes up with her to help.  
  
Charlie can't get the note out of his head. It was written in his sister's handwriting, so he knows it wasn't just some joke by Mulder. They both seem to believe Mulder is able to read minds. That Mulder could possibly read his mind.  
  
"How about we watch some TV," Mulder suggests to his nervous host. Charlie just nods and leads Mulder into the living room where the TV is. He flips it on, turning it to ESPN and they stare blankly for a while at whatever show happens to be on.  
  
Charlie places his hand on Mulder's shoulder and takes a deep breath. He can't believe he's actually going to try this. The thought that anyone can actually read minds is ridiculous. But his sister seems to have faith in this man. And it should be easy enough to prove him wrong. He looks up when Mulder lets out a chuckle. Can Mulder really hear his thoughts, Charlie wonders.  
  
Charlie gasps when Mulder gives him an amused look and nods his head. But he still can't believe it. It might just be luck. He thinks of something else.   
  
What is two plus two?  
  
Mulder surprises him by lifting four fingers. Unbelievable, Charlie thinks, causing Mulder to smile again.  
  
Charlie takes another deep breath and starts thinking his story, hoping Mulder will catch it all. Hoping Mulder will be able to help once he knows the whole story.  
  
Years ago, back in college, my friends and I had what I like to refer to as an 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' experience, Charlie thinks. There was this man that we . . . it was an accident, I swear. But I think my buddy hit him with the car. I was pretty drunk at the time. All I remember is feeling the thud when the car hit something. I remember watching them toss something over the bridge into the river below. When I asked them about it the next morning they told me what happened. That the guy was dead. He had no ID or anything so they assumed he was homeless and threw him over the bridge. Then they told me to stay quiet about it. I did.   
  
For years I tried to block it all out. I tried to not think about it and get on with my life. And for a while I did. I got married. Had my boys. Life was good. Until a few years ago when Darren, the guy driving that night, was killed. They found his body in a river. He seemed to have been hit by a car. After that, other bodies would show up in the same condition. Bodies of my other friends who were in that car that night. They all were found. I'm the only one from that night still alive. And one day someone came to me. I thought they were going to kill me too. But they didn't. They asked me to do something. And strongly suggested I didn't refuse. I didn't really have a choice.  
  
At first, it was small things, like dropping off a letter here. Delivering a package there. It seemed worth it to protect my secret and possibly my life. But the assignments started to become more and more sinister. I began to hurt people. I wanted to tell them no whenever they would come with a new job, but I couldn't. I was too afraid of losing the life I worked so hard to acquire. And then one day, two months ago, they sent me to Dana with that paper. That was the last assignment they gave me.  
  
Mulder tries to keep his focus on the television and appear to be unaffected by what Charlie is telling him. But the last bit about Charlie bringing the rubbing to them on orders from some outside party is too much for him to handle. The anger begins to show clearly on his face and it scares Charlie. Almost more than his mysterious employers do.  
  
"You look like you could use a drink," Charlie says to the man. He goes into the kitchen and grabs a couple of beers from the refrigerator. By the time he returns, there's another paper with a hastily scrawled note on it lying on the table. He leans over to read it, sighing when he sees the question. He opens his beer and drinks the entire thing before he has the courage to continue.  
  
That night after you left, Dana and I went to bed. I woke up later to the sound of her moaning. She was sick. In a lot of pain and I knew right then they had done something to her. So I called them and made them come fix her. And that's what I thought they did. But I fear they did something even worse. They called me not too long ago and asked me how she was doing. When I told them she was fine, they hinted that she might not be as fine as I think.  
  
So many questions are flying through Mulder's head. He had to stop himself from vocalizing them several times during Charlie's story. But more than anything, he's angry. Angry at Charlie. Angry at the people Charlie works for. And angry about whatever they did to her.  
  
Charlie watches the emotions dance across Mulder's face and knows that he put that pain there. He hurt his sister and as a consequence, hurt this man as well. At that moment, he realizes that everything Bill told him about Mulder has been wrong. Because at that moment, he can see how Mulder really feels about his sister.  
  
"You're in love with her, aren't you?" Charlie asks, not even needing an answer to the question. "I can see it on your face."  
  
"I love her more than my own life," Mulder admits. "She doesn't know, though. I've never told her. I've never even admitted to myself how much I love her."  
  
I'm sorry about all of this, Charlie apologizes. I should have refused their assignment. I fear it's too late now. They own me. I no longer care about my reputation. I told them that hoping they'd no longer be able to hold my past against me. But they threatened my family, Mulder. Myself I can risk. But my wife? My kids? I can't let anything happen to them.  
  
Mulder lets out a frustrated sigh and just nods his head, letting Charlie know he received him loud and clear. This is a terrible situation for them all. The only way to stop this is to find out who's behind it all and stop them. Mulder has a sick feeling he knows exactly where to start looking.  
  
To be continued . . . 


	6. Chapter 6

Title - I Know What You Did . . .  
  
Author - Nicky  
  
Rating - PG  
  
Classification - TRA  
  
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic  
  
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati  
  
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.  
  
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Scully paces nervously around her living room, watching uncomfortably as the Gunmen go all throughout her home. She just wants them gone so that Mulder can finally tell her what he learned from Charlie. They didn't want to speak in the car or in their hotel the previous night for fear that someone may be listening. So they waited until they got back home. But now that they're here, she still has to wait because at Mulder's insistence, they gunmen are doing a thorough sweep of her apartment for any kind of surveillance equipment someone may have set up. She's not fond of having them poke through her things. But what's really disturbing her is the number of listening devices they've actually already found.   
  
"Are you guys almost done?" she whines, sighing in irritation. She rubs on a sore spot on her back and takes a seat on her sofa. Mulder sits next to her and lifts her feet onto his lap, rubbing them gently.  
  
"Your ankles are swelling. Is that normal?" he asks worriedly.  
  
"What? You didn't get to that chapter in the baby book either?" she teases, instantly feeling the effects of his massage and letting out a grateful moan. "Oh that feels good."  
  
"Seriously, Scully. How are you doing?"  
  
"I'm feeling really good right now, Mulder," she assures him. "The morning sickness is still bad first thing in the morning, but I've managed to get a handle on it throughout the day. It's just weird being pregnant. Now that I know that I am, I feel like everyone else knows too. Did you see how Frohike stared at me when they first got here? I've been getting a lot of that lately."  
  
"You look great, Scully. Honestly. No one can tell you're pregnant. Although, there has been one pretty big change. But most people looking at you wouldn't attribute it to pregnancy. They'd just assume you got some . . . work done," he blushes, gesturing towards her chest. "They're, um, bigger. Noticeably so."  
  
"They are, aren't they?" she giggles, looking down at her chest. "I had to go buy new clothes last weekend. Everything I have is too small. I didn't anticipate that. I really didn't think I'd start showing for at least another few months."  
  
"You're not showing. You're just . . . curvier," he says, his eyes flashing in delight.  
  
"You like that, huh?"  
  
"Oh yeah. I like it a lot," he nods happily.  
  
He leans down towards her slowly, and for a second, she's sure he's going to kiss her. He gets closer and she closes her eyes, preparing for the moment. But the moment never arrives. She opens her eyes when she doesn't feel him near anymore and sees that they're not alone anymore.  
  
"We're done," Frohike says. "You guys should have complete privacy now."  
  
"Thanks," Mulder says, standing to show them to the door. After they leave, he can feel the gravity of his actions begin to weigh on him. He almost kissed Scully. She's dealing with so much. The last thing she needs right now is to worry about fighting off his advances.  
  
"Come sit down, Mulder," she says from the couch, startling him at the door. He didn't realize how long he'd been standing there. He gives her a small smile and walks back to the couch, sitting next to her, but afraid to look at her. She senses his fear and places a hand on his leg.  
  
Look at me, she pleads mentally.  
  
"I'm sorry about before," he apologizes, afraid that she's upset with him.   
  
"Sorry that you almost kissed me or sorry that you didn't?"  
  
"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable in any way," he says after a minute to think about it.  
  
"Then you should rectify that," she says with a little grin. "I am uncomfortable now, Mulder. But only because you left me hanging, so to speak. You left me wanting that kiss so badly I can almost taste it."  
  
He's stunned to silence. He just sits there for a second, staring in shock at her. Before he can say anything, she leans over and captures his mouth with her own, sending him more into shock. She continues the kiss until he finally starts to participate in it himself. They both pull away only when the need for oxygen becomes too great.  
  
"Are you sure you want this? With me?"  
  
She places a hand on his cheek, gently stroking his stubbly skin.  
  
More than anything, her mind tells him. She leans in to kiss him again when they're stopped by a rumbling coming from her stomach. They both look down and laugh.  
  
"This kid needs to work on his timing," Mulder says with a chuckle. He stands up and grabs Scully's hand, dragging her into the kitchen. "Let's fix lunch and then we can talk about Charlie."  
  
"That's a good idea. I'm starving," she admits as she sits at the kitchen table. "But I've also been curious about Charlie's story."  
  
He starts to fix them a couple of sandwiches for lunch while recounting the story he heard the previous evening from her brother. She's shocked that Charlie would even get himself into a situation that would allow him to be blackmailed. She's appalled at the lengths he's gone through over the years to keep the story buried.   
  
"Don't be too mad with him, Scully," Mulder starts. "Yes, he did something colossally stupid when he was young. And yes, I'm angry too that his mistake is costing you such a high price. When I heard what he let them do to you . . . Scully, it took everything in me to keep my cool. But your brother isn't the enemy. His blackmailer is. They're using him for their own sinister purposes. He's as much a victim of this as you are."  
  
"You too, Mulder. This whole thing has affected you as well," she says, wiping away tears of anger as well as sadness.  
  
"Jumpstarting my latent mind reading ability doesn't even compare to them impregnating you, Scully," Mulder insists. "It doesn't come close to them threatening to kill your brother or his family if he doesn't do what they say. You two are more of a victim than I am."  
  
"So you think that's what happened to me? That they came into my apartment and put this thing in me?" she asks angrily. But the gentle way she strokes her stomach belies her hostility.  
  
"That *thing* is a baby, Scully," he says, placing his hand next to hers and mimics her gentle stroking. "More than likely *your* baby."  
  
I wish it were your baby as well, she thinks to herself, only realizing when he jerks his hand away that he was touching her and could hear that thought.  
  
"Scully," he gasps. "I don't know what to say."  
  
"Forget it," she says, suddenly unable to meet his eyes. "It was just a passing thought."  
  
"Was it? Just a passing thought, that is?" he asks as he places his fingers on her chin, lifting her eyes to meet his own. "Because it seems to be a permanent idea in my head ever since you told me you were pregnant - how I wish it could have been me to give you this miracle. How I wish it were my child growing inside of you. How no matter where this child came from, I already love it more than I ever thought possible because it's a part of you."  
  
"Mulder," she says with a sniff, not even bothering to wipe away the flowing tears. "Don't say that. You don't need to be saddled down with me and . . . did you say love?" she asks, his words finally sinking in. "You love the baby?"  
  
"I'm pretty crazy about his mom, too," Mulder smiles. He wraps his arms around Scully and pulls her into a hug. "This is going to be a big change for both of us. But we'll handle it, Scully. Just promise me I won't lose you."  
  
"Lose me? Mulder, I was afraid of losing you. A baby is a lot to deal with. Especially since you don't have anything to do with it."  
  
"Just a technicality," he says, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "I want to be there for you, Scully. Every step of the way if you'll let me."  
  
"And, I'm going to hold you to that," she says, standing up and walking him to the door. "Starting tomorrow."  
  
"Tomorrow?" he whines.  
  
"I'm meeting my mother for dinner," she explains. "Charlie sent some recent pictures of the boys for her. So you're lucky she was able to wait until tonight for them. She originally wanted me to go over to her place straight from the airport."  
  
"Oh. I guess I can understand that," he says with a little pout.   
  
Scully can't resist stealing a kiss from those adorable lips. One kiss turns into two which turns into too many to count. She finally pushes him away and out the door before she changes her mind about him leaving.  
  
"Good night, Mulder," she says breathlessly. Before she can protest, he gives her one more kiss that practically takes her knees out from under her. With a smug grin on his face, he turns and almost skips down the hall to the elevator.  
  
How she ever lived for seven years without those kisses, she'll never know. She just knows she won't let another day go by without one. With a little laugh, she lets herself back into her apartment. One day and she's already addicted. Oh well, there are worse things to be hooked on than Fox Mulder's lips, she supposes. It's one habit she'll be more than happy to support.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Mulder tosses and turns, barely catching himself before falling off of the couch. Why he ever let Scully convince him to come home is a question he can't answer at the moment. He thought he was used to his nightmares. But the one he had tonight scared him more than anything ever has in his life. He dreamt someone took Scully away and he couldn't find her. He talked himself out of calling her just to hear her voice. But he knows he won't be getting back to sleep until he knows for sure she's okay. Before he can think twice about his decision, he pulls on a t-shirt and slides his feet into a pair of flip flops. His pajama bottoms should be able to pass for pants.  
  
Within twenty minutes, he's slipping his key into her lock and quickly stepping into the apartment. He locks the door behind him, even though he tells himself he's just here for a minute to check on her. He steps out of his shoes, telling himself the reason is to make his trek to the bedroom a silent one. He pushes open the door to her bedroom and spies her sleeping form. A relieved smile comes across his face when he sees that she's fine. And now that he knows she's okay, it's time to leave. But he can't seem to get his feet to cooperate. They take him instead to her bedside, where he leans over to kiss her forehead.  
  
"Mulder?" she groans sleepily. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I didn't mean to wake you," he whispers, secretly glad she's up now.  
  
"Yes you did," she smiles. "Now get in this bed before I fully awaken and question my decision."  
  
"If you insist," he shrugs, his grin making his face look youthful and boyish. He climbs into the bed behind her and wraps his arms around her waist, his hands resting gently on her abdomen.  
  
"You want to talk about it?" she asks.  
  
"Nothing to talk about. I'm fine now. Now that I know you are."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"It was just a nightmare," he whispers. "I dreamt you were gone. And I couldn't find you. I just needed to see for myself that you were still here. I needed to hold you and feel for myself that you're okay."  
  
"I *am* okay, Mulder," she assures him. She tries to hold in a yawn, but it escapes anyway.  
  
"Go back to sleep," he tells her, kissing her cheek.   
  
"You too," she yawns again, snuggling deeper into his embrace. Her breathing gets steady and he can tell that she's asleep. Only then does he allow slumber to claim him.  
  
To be continued . . . 


	7. Chapter 7

Title - I Know What You Did . . .  
  
Author - Nicky  
  
Rating - PG  
  
Classification - TRA  
  
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic  
  
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati  
  
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.  
  
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Mulder takes another sip of his second cup of coffee of the morning. Two cups of coffee before even leaving home and she still isn't close to being ready.  
  
"Scully," he calls to her, hoping not to anger the woman. "Are you about ready?"  
  
"Do I look ready?" she snaps at him as she storms out of the bedroom.   
  
His eyes widen in shock at her appearance. She's outgrown another set of clothes, seemingly overnight. Try as she might, there's just no way she's going to get those pants buttoned, he thinks to himself. And she hasn't yet bothered to put on a shirt.  
  
"Well, I'd love to have you prance topless around the office, but I'm sure there's something against that in the regulations," he chuckles. In the two and a half weeks he's been staying there, she's gone through a lot of changes - emotional and physical. And it's always amusing to him to see how she handles her wardrobe crises. He doesn't understand why she refuses to buy maternity clothes. Unfortunately for Mulder, Scully isn't in a laughing kind of mood.  
  
"You think this is funny?" she huffs. "If I'm holding you up so much, why don't you just go ahead without me?"  
  
"Because then we'd have to drive two cars to your doctor's appointment this afternoon," he explains.   
  
"You're coming with me?" she asks, her tone suddenly turning sweet.  
  
"Of course. I wouldn't miss Junior's first picture," he smiles. "But if you don't get dressed, *you* might be the one missing it."  
  
"As you can see," she says, gesturing down her body with her hands. "Nothing fits. I look like a cow. I'm barely three months and I'm already starting to show. I saw pictures of Mom when she was pregnant with Bill. She didn't start to show until she was almost five months."  
  
She goes back into the room, returning in a pair of black stretchy boot cut pants and a loose fitting peasant blouse.  
  
"I thought you said nothing fit," he remarks as he helps her gather her things.  
  
"These pants are stretchy and have an elastic waist band," she explains. "But I won't be able to wear these to work every day. Luckily it's Friday and I might be able to get away with the casual look."  
  
"You could go shopping. Get some maternity clothes. Allison from upstairs said there's a shop in Georgetown Park with some nice things."  
  
"And who, may I ask, is Allison?" The eyebrow seems to reach new heights.  
  
"The pregnant blond. She lives two floors up," Mulder says as if she should have known. "I helped her carry some groceries to her apartment one day."  
  
"Mulder, you've been here for less than three weeks and you already know more people in my building than I do," she smiles.   
  
"You know me. I'm just a chick magnet," he says with a smug grin.  
  
"Oh brother," she rolls her eyes, grabbing onto his hand to walk out the door. "Let's go, Loverboy, before we're even later for work."  
  
* * * * *   
  
Monotony for most people is just that. Monotonous. Boring. Dull. But for Charles Scully it means peace. It means quiet. It means not having to worry about being called to take part in some sinister, mysterious plot. The past month for him has been filled with said monotony, a blessed banality ruling his weeks. It was a good thing. He should know by now that all good things eventually come to an end. He should have known that a call would come.  
  
He hangs up the phone and lifts his drink with a shaking hand. This call was different. There's no assignment for him this time. Nothing for him to do. This call came as a warning, advising him to stay out of the way. Taunting him with the knowledge that something big is going to happen with his sister and there's not a thing he can do to stop it.  
  
Charlie angrily throws his drink against the wall, watching the glass shatter into tiny pieces much like his life. Splintered and fragmented. No amount of glue able to piece it back together again. For the first time since this whole mess began, Charlie realizes it's too late for him. He can't fix his life. But can make sure his mistake doesn't touch his family anymore, starting with his sister. Whatever is planned for her, Charlie is going to make sure she's prepared for it. He may even be able to stop it. He at least owes her that.  
  
* * * * *  
  
They watch from a distance as Charlie boards his plane. Checking the destination board once more, they see he's headed towards Washington D.C. They smile at each other, seeing that their plan is finally in motion. The man takes out his cell phone and places a call.  
  
"He took the bait. He's on a plane headed to his sister," he says. "After hearing about the impending danger, there's no way Mulder will leave her alone. With any luck, everyone should be in place by tonight. We'll be able to do it then."  
  
He hangs up the phone and goes back to his companion where they watch for a moment longer as Charlie's plane takes off. They can't stay for too long, though. They have their own plane to catch. They have their own part to play in this little drama that's unfolding. He wouldn't miss this for the world. He has a feeling that after tonight, nobody's life will be the same.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The nurse calls her name and Scully rises to go to an examination room. Mulder stands to follow her, but she puts a hand on his chest to stop him.  
  
"It's the yucky part first, Mulder," she explains. "You don't want to be in there for that. I'll have them call you back when they start the ultrasound."  
  
After a half hour of squirming in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs, Mulder is led to a back room where Scully is on the table already.  
  
"Perfect timing," the doctor says, looking up at Mulder. "You must be Mulder. Dana said you'd be joining us for the show."  
  
"Nice meeting you, Dr. Carson," Mulder mumbles nervously, still unsure of what to expect.  
  
"Relax, Mulder. I'm the one getting slimed here," she smiles, looking down at the clammy gel coating her stomach. She reaches out a hand to him and pulls him to the chair at the side of the table.  
  
"Are you two ready?" the doctor asks before placing the wand on her belly. The air is filled with a watery thumping noise that makes Mulder look up at him in wonder.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"It's the baby's heartbeat," Scully says, her eyes starting to fill with tears. "But it sounds really fast. Is that normal?"  
  
"A baby's heartbeat is normally fast, but not that fast. However," the doctor points out something on the screen that makes Scully's mouth drop wide open. "I don't think it's a problem in this case."  
  
"I can't believe it," Scully gasps.  
  
"What?" Mulder asks. "What's going on? Is there a problem with the baby's heart?"  
  
"No," the doctor smiles. "Because you're not hearing one abnormally fast heart beat."   
  
"We're hearing two normal ones," Scully finishes for him.  
  
"T-two? You mean twins?" Mulder stutters.  
  
"I suspected it when Dana described the difficulties she was experiencing," the doctor continues. "The severe nausea. The extreme hunger. The early weight gain. Those indications all point towards multiples."  
  
"Twins," Mulder says again, shaking his head in disbelief.  
  
"I'll let you two take a moment to absorb this news while we wait for the other technician. Dana, do you still want to do the CVS today?"  
  
"What's a CVS?" Mulder asks.   
  
"CVS stands for chorionic villus sampling. I was hesitant to do an EA, that's early amniocentesis, for Dana so soon in her pregnancy. The CVS is usually done at this stage and I think it will allow the DNA analysis she wants."  
  
"DNA analysis?" Mulder looks at Scully with confusion in his eyes.  
  
"Could you give us a minute, Doctor?" she politely says to him. She waits until he leaves the room before turning to Mulder.  
  
"Why do you want a DNA analysis? Is this going to be safe for you and the babies?" he asks before she gets the chance to explain.  
  
"Mulder, you know what was done to me. I just want to be sure of some things. And maybe the gunmen will be able to check for a match on the paternity while we're at it."  
  
"Okay," he sighs. "That makes sense. The more we know, the better prepared we'll be for anything."  
  
He forces a smile for her sake, but inside he's worried. Not so much about what the children are or where they came from. But he's worried about *who* they came from. What will happen to him when Scully has a face to put to their father? Will she even need him anymore? He tries to shake aside those thoughts. What's important is that she needs him now. Maybe things will end up working out for the best. He finds himself praying that small prayer as the doctor comes back to start the procedure.  
  
To be continued . . . 


	8. Chapter 8

Title - I Know What You Did . . .  
  
Author - Nicky  
  
Rating - PG  
  
Classification - TRA  
  
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic  
  
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati  
  
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.  
  
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Charlie sighs in frustration as he reaches another dead end. Since arriving in D.C earlier that evening, he has yet to be able to track down his sister. He's tried her home, her cell, and her work. He's now at the last place he could think of to find her. He was really hoping to avoid this meeting at this particular time.  
  
"Charlie. What a surprise."  
  
"Hi Mom," he says, pasting a smile on his face. He can't let her see how worried he really is.  
  
"Don't 'Hi Mom' me. Get in here and give me a hug, Young Man," Margaret Scully says, pulling her youngest son into her eager arms. "It's been too long."  
  
"I know," he says quietly, having to clear his voice to get past the tears threatening to fall. "I'm just in town for a quick visit. I needed to ask Dana her professional opinion on something I'm researching."  
  
"Oh that's nice, Dear," his mother nods, setting a plate of cookies in front of him. He wonders how she manages it. He shows up out of the blue and she has a plate of cookies seemingly waiting on him. "Was she able to help?"  
  
"I actually haven't been able to reach her yet. Do you know if she's out of town on a case or anything?"  
  
"Not that I know of. I haven't seen her in probably three weeks. Since she came back from seeing you. But I did speak with her the other day. She didn't say anything about a case then, but you know how those things just pop up. She's usually gone without a moment's notice." She pats his knee and stands to go get him some milk. When she gets back, she has a small slip of paper for him. "Call these numbers. If I can't reach her at home or on her cell, I try Fox. They're usually together."  
  
"Good idea, Mom. I'll go call now," he smiles, trying hard not to snatch the paper from her hand. He has a bad feeling that he really needs to get in touch with his sister. The sooner, the better.   
  
* * * * *   
  
The apartment is a welcome sight for Mulder after spending so much time in a Women's Clinic. The procedure the doctor did on Scully freaked him out a little, but he's starting to get over it. He wanted to take her right home immediately after the appointment, but she reminded him that they needed to stop by the Gunmen's to drop off the tissue samples from the CVS. The doctor will go ahead and run the usual tests, but Mulder and Scully thought it would be less weird to ask the Gunmen to try and ascertain the maternity as well as paternity of the babies. That would be too much to try to explain to the doctor.  
  
Mulder makes sure to unplug all the phones as well as shutting off their cellulars. He wants to make sure she isn't interrupted. He turns down the answering machine, ignoring the blinking light alerting them of the waiting messages. She ignored it when she came in, so he figures he should do so as well.  
  
"Maybe I should check those messages," she says. He turns around and sees her standing behind him wearing one of his t-shirts. It comes practically down to her knees. But even it's not big enough to hide the bump developing where her flat stomach used to be. He smiles at how cute she looks in it.  
  
"I thought you were supposed to be resting." He lets a yawn escape.  
  
"You're the one that could use the rest," she points out. "I'm not all that tired. And the doctor said that I'm fine."  
  
"He also said that you should probably take it easy for the rest of the day, Scully," Mulder reminds her.  
  
"I know. But I was lonely in there," she pouts. "All alone in that big old bed."  
  
"Hmm, I think I can do something about that," Mulder says, giving her a grin.   
  
He takes her hand and leads her back to the bedroom. She gets in the bed while he gets comfortable, stripping down to his boxers and undershirt. After making a quick trip to the bathroom, he joins her in the bed to find that she's already asleep. With a little smile, he wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her back into the curve of his body. He rubs his hand back and forth across her rounded belly and, before he realizes, is asleep as well.  
  
The time seems to stretch on forever. He doesn't know how long he's been asleep, but try as he might, he can't seem to wake himself up. He feels a weird sensation, kind of like he's floating outside of his body. He doesn't ever remember being in that deep of a sleep. One lone part of his unconscious mind registers that something isn't quite right. But he can't seem to muster up the energy to care. So he just lets himself drift.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Charlie manages to choke down the dinner his mother insisted on feeding him. But he was barely able to keep his mind on the conversation. Luckily, she was perfectly content talking almost the entire time. He just had to try to nod and laugh at the appropriate times.  
  
After dinner, he decides to visit his sister's apartment in person. She's not answering her phone, but she might just have it off the hook or unplugged for whatever reason. That doesn't make him feel any better. She could be in trouble. He might already be too late.   
  
When he gets to her apartment, he finally understands why he's been having such feelings of dread. A mass of people populate the sidewalk in front of the complex. Flashing lights from police cars and ambulances brighten the early evening sky. Men in uniforms and suits walk around inside of a police taped area and Charlie suddenly finds himself praying silently to see his sister as one of those suits. Whispers pass through the crowds and he tries to hear what happened.  
  
"I heard the guy flipped," one passerby says. "Just went crazy and killed his girlfriend."  
  
Charlie's prayers change and he finds himself hoping desperately that the story is just a rumor and that his sister isn't involved. But he knows that she somehow is. He looks around some more and finally spots a familiar face. He's not sure if he's more relieved or worried to see the tall, balding man with glasses.  
  
"Excuse me," Charlie calls to him. "Are you Skinner?"  
  
"Who wants to know?" the assistant director asks gruffly, glancing suspiciously at the man.  
  
"I'm Charles Scully," he says, sticking out his hand for the man to shake. His stomach drops when he sees the look of sorrow that crosses Skinner's face.  
  
"Mr. Scully, I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this," Skinner starts.  
  
"It's Dana, isn't it?"  
  
"I'm sorry," he says with a nod.   
  
"What happened?" Charlie asks tearfully. "Someone here was saying that a woman got killed by her boyfriend. I didn't think that Dana was seeing anyone."  
  
Everyone's attention goes to the entrance of the apartment complex as the paramedics come out carrying a loaded stretcher. The police are close behind them.  
  
"Is that her?" Charlie jumps across the police tape and tries to run to the paramedics. Skinner is able to catch his arm and stop him.  
  
"Your sister wasn't in the apartment when we arrived. Just Agent Mulder. They're taking him to the hospital," Skinner explains.  
  
"What's with the police escort?"  
  
"It's standard procedure when paramedics have to transport a . . . " Skinner pauses, seemingly at a loss for words.  
  
"A what? Federal agent?"  
  
"No," Skinner whispers, his voice thick with emotion. "A murder suspect."  
  
"Mur- murder suspect? Are you telling me my sister is dead?" Charlie cries.   
  
"I can't really tell you much of anything," Skinner says apologetically. "We don't know much yet. All we know is that an anonymous 9-1-1 call came in about an hour ago. When they showed up, they found Agent Mulder in your sister's apartment. He was hysterical and covered in what appears to be . . . her blood. Agent Scully's location has yet to be determined, but . . . "  
  
"But everyone think she's dead," Charlie finishes for him.  
  
"There's a lot of blood." Skinner looks down, trying to hide his emotions. He can't think of anything else to say to the man, so he just shrugs and apologizes again. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Why are they taking him to the hospital?" Charlie asks. He's numb now. His sister has been killed and he can only blame himself. He doesn't know much about Mulder. But he knows the man would never willingly hurt Dana. Charlie can only assume his so called employers had something to do with Mulder's actions.  
  
"The police believe he's guilty. When I arrived, they were trying to get him to tell them where she is. It was too much for him and he snapped. He's so deep in shock now that he's practically catatonic."  
  
"Doesn't seem like the actions of a guilty man to me," Charlie says. "Mulder cares a lot about Dana."  
  
"Your sister is his whole world. He could never do to her what they're accusing him of," Skinner says with certainty.  
  
"Who could?"  
  
"I don't know. But I'm going to find out," he swears to Charlie. "It's the least I can do for them both."  
  
Skinner gives him a small grimace that Charlie assumes is supposed to pass for a smile. But Charlie doesn't feel reassured. He just feels fear. Fear that they won't find his sister and fear that they will. But mostly he's terrified they will find out his involvement in the whole thing. It's bound to come out eventually. Secrets like this always do.  
  
To be continued . . . 


	9. Chapter 9

Title - I Know What You Did . . .  
  
Author - Nicky  
  
Rating - PG  
  
Classification - TRA  
  
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic  
  
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati  
  
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.  
  
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Mulder awakens, feeling very tired and a little bit confused. Images of the strange dream he had of himself flying come to his mind. He rolls over to grab for Scully and finds her side of the bed empty. Not only is it empty, it's not there. He manages to pry his eyes open and looks around the room, spying Skinner in a chair next to the bed. It only adds to his confusion.  
  
"Sir?" he asks groggily, blinking to try to get things into focus.   
  
"Agent Mulder. You're awake."  
  
"Where am I?" Mulder asks him, looking around to room trying to get his bearings. Something tells him he's not in Scully's apartment anymore.  
  
"You're in the hospital, Agent Mulder."  
  
"What happened this time? Did I go off on some senseless case again?" Mulder groans. "Scully's going to kill me. She warned me to stay out of the hospital . . . Sir? What is it?" Mulder notices a strange expression on Skinner's face and suddenly knows that something is wrong. He fears that Scully is hurt as well, and probably in another hospital room.   
  
"Calm down, Mulder," Skinner says when he notices the younger man becoming agitated.  
  
"She's here in the hospital too, isn't she?" Mulder asks as he tries to get out of the bed. "I need to see her."  
  
"You're not going anywhere," Skinner commands, holding Mulder down and preventing him from rising.   
  
"Sir, I need to see for myself that Scully is okay. You're not telling me anything about her and I'm starting to . . . "  
  
"She's not here, Mulder," Skinner blurts out, interrupting the man's tirade. "Scully's not in the hospital. And you weren't hurt on a case."  
  
"I don't understand." Mulder is visibly confused. "If she's not here, then where is she?"  
  
"We were hoping you'd be able to answer that," a man says as he walks into the hospital room. He reaches into his pocket and pulls a badge out, flashing it for Mulder. "I'm Detective Freeman. I need to ask you some questions, Agent Mulder."  
  
"About what?" Mulder asks warily, looking over to Skinner for some sort of explanation. "Sir? What's going on? Where's Scully?"  
  
Skinner just looks down, unable to make eye contact with the man. That action scares Mulder even more.  
  
"Agent Mulder, can you tell me where you were three days ago around four in the afternoon?" the detective asks.  
  
"Scully and I had a meeting with Skinner," Mulder says nodding his head in the man's direction.  
  
"No, Mulder. That meeting was almost a week ago," Skinner corrects him.  
  
"No, it was just three days ago," Mulder insists. "Today is Friday, right? I took Scully to an appointment and then took her home. I guess it was around four when we got there."  
  
"Is that the last day you remember, Agent Mulder?" the detective asks. "Today is Monday. You've been in the hospital for a few days."  
  
"How did I get here?" Mulder observes the detective and Skinner exchange glances and finally starts to become suspicious of the line of questioning. "Sir, where's Scully? Did something happen to her?"  
  
"Why would you ask a question like that, Agent Mulder?" the detective spits out angrily, grabbing Mulder by the front of his hospital gown. "Where is she? What did you do with her body?"  
  
"Body?" Mulder gasps, his eyes widening. "What do you mean? Somebody tell me what's going on."  
  
"Get your hands off of him, Detective," Skinner booms, his heavy voice serious and demanding. It's enough to scare the detective into backing off for a moment.  
  
"Agent Mulder, you are the prime suspect in the murder of Agent Dana Scully," Detective Freeman rattles off, not noticing the look of horror on Mulder's pallid face. "We received an anonymous report of domestic disturbance from one of her neighbors. By the time we showed up, we only found you covered in her blood. Her body has yet to be found. Why don't you tell us now. Tell us where she is so that her family can have some peace. Her poor mother has been . . . "  
  
"Mrs. Scully," Mulder whimpers, breaking down into sobs. "She must be inconsolable."  
  
"She is, Agent Mulder. So tell us where you put her body," the detective continues.  
  
"You think I did this? You think I killed her? I could never hurt her," Mulder yells, unashamed at the tears flowing down his face.  
  
"What were you doing at her apartment? Both sides of the bed had been disturbed. Were you sleeping with her?" the detective boldly asks. "Or maybe she was sleeping with someone else, you walked in on them, and killed her in a fit of jealousy. I understand Agent Scully was a very beautiful woman."  
  
"Is," Mulder growls. "Agent Scully *is* a very beautiful woman. She's kind and loving and my best friend in the whole world. I would never do what you're accusing me of doing."  
  
"Maybe not willingly. But we found some pretty powerful drugs in your system, Agent Mulder. As I understand it, this isn't the first time something like this has happened to you. Agent Scully found you in Providence, Rhode Island a few years ago in the same situation. You, covered in blood. Two people dead. And no recollection of what occured."  
  
"I didn't kill those people," Mulder mumbles. "And I didn't kill Scully. She isn't dead. I would know if she were dead."  
  
"Then where is she?" the detective yells, the noise bringing Mulder's doctor into the room.  
  
"What's going on in here?" the man asks. "My patient should not be this agitated."  
  
"Your patient is a killer," Detective Freeman says, pointing angrily at Mulder.  
  
"That's enough," Skinner finally chimes in. He stands and gets in Detective Freeman's face, staring him down. "You have no proof that Agent Scully is dead and even less evidence pointing the alleged crime to Agent Mulder."  
  
"Her blood all over him is proof enough for me," the detective snaps.  
  
"You know for a fact it's her blood?" Skinner asks.  
  
"Of course. We ran tests."  
  
"What kind of tests?" Mulder asks. All three men look to him and Skinner is relieved to see the spark of curiosity returning to Mulder's eyes.   
  
"I don't know," the detective responds with an eye roll. "The regular kind, I suppose. The kind that tells me the blood belongs to her."  
  
"Okay," Mulder says, biting his lip the way he does when he's thinking something over. "Do something for me. I accompanied Agent Scully on Friday to a doctor's appointment. She had some blood drawn. Compare those results to the tests your people ran and let me know if they're the same."  
  
"I don't understand why . . . "  
  
"Just humor me," Mulder says, interrupting the detective.   
  
"Fine," Detective Freeman sighs. After getting the doctor's information from Mulder, he steps outside to make the phone calls. The doctor goes with him, leaving Skinner in the room.  
  
"What's going on in that head of yours, Mulder?" he asks.  
  
"Scully's not dead, Sir," Mulder tells him. "Just like I said before, I would know it if she were. I would feel it."  
  
"I believe that," Skinner nods. "But why compare the blood tests?"  
  
He hesitates for a moment, wondering what to tell the man. But the secret's going to be out anyway, Mulder figures. It's better to tell Skinner now than to have him find out later.  
  
"Promise this stays between us?" At Skinner's nod, he continues. "She's pregnant, Sir. If the blood found was recent blood, that would have shown up in the tests."  
  
"She's what?"  
  
"I know what you're thinking, but it's a long story," Mulder says, holding up his hand to stop any other questions on the matter.   
  
"Agent Mulder, you have no idea what I'm thinking," Skinner laughs, not noticing the perplexed look cross Mulder's face. He finally looks at the man when he feels him place his hand on top of his. "What are you doing, Mulder?"  
  
"You're right, Sir. I don't know what you're thinking." Mulder squeezes Skinner's hand and tries to concentrate even harder.  
  
"Why does that surprise you?" Skinner jerks his hand away from Mulder and gives him a strange look.  
  
"Long story," Mulder mumbles again, his gaze turning distant. "The detective said they found drugs in my system. Maybe it was to turn off whatever it was they turned on in my brain."  
  
"You've lost me, Agent."  
  
"There was a rubbing from an artifact," Mulder starts to explain.   
  
"Like the one in Africa that scrambled your brain earlier this year?"  
  
"Not how I would have put it, but yeah. Kind of like that one. But this time, it didn't affect me as strongly. I was able to read minds, but only one person at a time and only if I was touching the person. But it seems to have had the greatest impact on Scully."  
  
"By making her pregnant?" Skinner sarcastically asks.  
  
"We're not sure," Mulder shrugs. "But if I had to guess, I'd say no. I think, however, it made her capable of becoming pregnant."  
  
"And then later you two . . . " Skinner can't think of how to tactfully put it, so he just makes some gestures with his hands.   
  
"No," Mulder laughs. "No we haven't had sex, Sir. We actually aren't sure what happened. Someone, we don't know who, decided to impregnate her for some reason. And we don't know why."  
  
"Is it possible that she was attacked?"  
  
"Not that she remembers," Mulder says shaking her head. "There's a lot more to this story than I can get into right now, Sir. For right now, just know that the people responsible for her pregnancy may also be responsible for her disappearance."  
  
"Where do we start? Who would do something like this?"  
  
"At first thought, I assumed it was our good buddy CGB Spender. But now, I'm starting to smell a rat."  
  
"Krycek," Skinner says. Mulder just nods. "So he has a rubbing from an artifact that's powerful enough to turn on your mindreading abilities and cure Scully's infertility. Then he somehow manages to impregnate and subsequently kidnap her. All of that and he manages to frame you for her murder."  
  
"That sounds about right," Mulder nods again. He notes Skinner's skepticism. "Listen, I know it seems a bit farfetched, but it's ironically the only thing that makes sense."  
  
"Okay. Assuming you're right, my question now is why? Why would he do all that?"  
  
"That is the question," Mulder says. "One we have to answer. Because I believe it will lead us to Scully."  
  
Mulder lets out a sigh, giving his boss a slight smile of gratitude. He's glad Skinner is there to help him. But he's finding that playing this game just isn't the same without Scully. He misses her. He wants her back with him. Back in the office, but mostly back in his arms. And once she gets there, he's never letting her go again.  
  
To be continued . . . 


	10. Chapter 10

Title - I Know What You Did . . .  
  
Author - Nicky  
  
Rating - PG  
  
Classification - TRA  
  
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic  
  
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati  
  
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.  
  
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
He's drifting again. But this time he pays attention to what's going on around him. There are men. They don't have any faces and they're taking her. Just like how he dreamed before. He tries to run after them, but the more he pumps his legs, the farther away he drifts. Until he can't see her anymore.  
  
"Scully," he yells, sitting straight up in the bed. The noise wakes a dozing Skinner.  
  
"What's wrong, Mulder?" he asks in a raspy voice. "Bad dream?"  
  
"Someone took her," Mulder replies, trying to calm his breathing. "I remember now. She had some tests done on Friday at her doctor's appointment. I took her home and put her to bed because the doctor said she needed to stay off her feet for the rest of the day. I lay down next to her and we both went to sleep. When I woke up, she was gone. And I was on the floor, covered in blood. The police were there saying that . . . she was dead. That's all I remember before waking up here."  
  
"You went into shock," Skinner explains. "Your mind couldn't deal with the trauma."  
  
"She can't be gone," Mulder says, shaking his head from side to side. Skinner notices the younger man's trembling hands and grabs them with his own. They're ice cold.  
  
"Calm down, Mulder," Skinner admonishes. "We don't know that. You said yourself that she isn't dead. That we'll find her."  
  
"But what if we don't?" Mulder starts to cry. "I told her I would take care of her. But they took her anyway. They took her right from out of my arms."  
  
"Mulder, don't do this to yourself. You've got to keep it together. Scully is counting on you to save her. You can't do that if you lose your mind."  
  
That seems to get the man's attention. Skinner is thankful that he seems to be listening to him.  
  
"You're right," he says, taking a deep breath. "I have to find her. And to do that, I have to get out of here."  
  
He gets out of the bed before Skinner can protest and searches the room for his clothes. All he finds is a bag from the gift shop with a sweat suit.  
  
"Your other clothes were taken as evidence," is all Skinner gives as an explanation.  
  
"Thanks for this, Sir," Mulder says solemnly, thinking how it's usually Scully's job to make sure he has fresh clothes when leaving the hospital. But she isn't there. Only Skinner is. And Mulder is suddenly grateful for the man. "Thanks for everything. I don't think I could . . . I *know* I couldn't do this alone."  
  
Skinner just nods, not wanting to risk an emotional display on his part. Because inside, his heart is breaking for the man standing before him. He can see what Scully's absence is doing to him.  
  
"Just go get changed," Skinner says, clearing his throat. "I'll go talk to your doctor about getting you released."  
  
"Leaving so soon?"  
  
Mulder and Skinner turn to the door to find Detective Freeman standing there. He's holding a large envelope and doesn't look happy.  
  
"Are those the test results?" Mulder asks, nodding to the man's hands.  
  
"They are," the detective frowns. "And it seems that we've got ourselves a bit of a mystery here. The initial tests were correct. The blood does in fact belong to Agent Scully. But it's not exactly the same as the blood she had drawn on last Friday. According to the tests on that blood, Agent Scully is . . ."  
  
"Pregnant," Mulder finishes for him. "About three months along. So if the tests on the blood found at the scene don't show that she's pregnant, then that blood is a few months old at least. Meaning someone planted it there to make it look like she had been killed."  
  
"If you knew that, then why didn't you just tell us that to begin with?" the detective asks, clearly annoyed at the cocky agent.  
  
"Because I *didn't* know," Mulder growls. "All I knew was that you and your people stormed Agent Scully's apartment and accused me of killing her. Do you know what that did to me? Do you have any idea of how I felt hearing those words? Hearing that she was dead? The only thing I was thinking at the time was how fast I could join her."  
  
"It's okay, Mulder," Skinner jumps in, rescuing the detective from Mulder's anger. "Go ahead and get changed. I'll talk to Detective Freeman."  
  
He watches Mulder go into the small bathroom on the other side of the room before turning back to the detective.  
  
"As you can see, Agent Mulder is very distressed by his partner's disappearance. The two of them are close," Skinner starts.  
  
"I'll say," the detective snorts derisively before catching a glare from Skinner that shuts him up immediately.  
  
"I'm assuming that Agent Scully's disappearance is going to now be handled as a search for a missing person instead of a murder victim." At the detective's nod, Skinner continues. "Agent Mulder's going to insist on being a part of the Bureau's search for her. I won't be able to stop him, so I won't even try. Besides, I have a feeling that if anyone could find her, it would be him."   
  
"You do what you have to, Assistant Director," the detective says. "But the police will continue with our own search. So even though your Agent Mulder is no longer an official suspect, I'll be keeping my eye on him."  
  
With that, the detective turns to leave. Skinner lets out a deep breath and sinks back onto his chair. It's going to be a long road for Mulder. If there was ever a time he needed Scully, that time is now. Skinner doesn't even want to think what will happen if Scully isn't found, or worse, if her body is. He has a feeling he'll be burying two agents at once if that happens. He refuses to let that happen. He's going to do what he has to in order to help Mulder find Scully - whatever it takes.  
  
* * * * * *   
  
Mulder and Skinner walk to the front door of the house. Mulder raises a hand to knock when Skinner stops him.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asks him.  
  
"She helped me the last time," Mulder says after taking a moment to think. "I think we helped each other."  
  
Skinner nods and steps to the side, allowing Mulder access to the door. The door opens almost immediately, revealing a teary eyed woman.  
  
"Fox," she gasps, pulling him into the house. Before he can react, she launches herself into his arms and holds him tight.  
  
"Hi Mrs. Scully," he whispers into her ear, gently patting her back. "How are you doing?"  
  
"I'm managing," she says with a sad smile. "How are you?"  
  
"Not so good, I'm afraid. I apparently landed myself in the hospital," he winces.  
  
"The police said . . . well, they think you killed her, Fox," Mrs. Scully says, looking down at her feet. "I didn't want to believe them. I don't believe them. But they said they found you at her apartment covered in her blood."  
  
"I didn't, Mrs. Scully," he swears, lifting her face so that she can look him in the eyes. "I could never hurt her. I hope you know that."  
  
"Of course I do, Fox," she sighs. "I'm sorry I even . . . "  
  
"Don't worry about that," he says, giving her a little smile. "I'm just sorry I haven't been out there looking for her this whole time. But that's going to change. I won't rest until I find her and bring her home to you. Alive and safe."  
  
"Fox, no. Don't let this be like the last time. You let her search consume you and it almost killed you. I couldn't bear losing you both."  
  
She pulls him into another hug, stroking his back to comfort him when she realizes he's crying.  
  
"Why do you care so much for me?" he asks.  
  
"Because you love my daughter," Mrs. Scully replies with a smile. She wipes the tears from his face and places a kiss on his cheek. "And you've made her happier than I've ever seen her."  
  
"I've never told her. After all these years, she doesn't know how much I love her," he sighs.  
  
"Of course she does, Fox. The same way you know that she loves you. It comes from the same place that's telling you that she isn't dead. That you will find her out there. I believe in you. You just need to believe in yourself. Believe in that love."  
  
They both stand and she walks him to the front door. He gives her one last hug before opening it to step outside. He stopped in his tracks from the last person he expected to see.  
  
"What are you doing here?" the angry voice booms. "Get away from my mother!"  
  
"Bill Jr., stop that this instant," Mrs. Scully scolds.   
  
"Mom, this scum killed Dana. And doesn't even have the decency to tell the police where he hid her body," Bill yells. "If you wanted to pick on a Scully, why didn't you pick on me? I've been waiting years to go a few rounds with you."  
  
"That's enough, Billy," another voice says. Mulder looks past Bill and sees Charlie standing on the porch behind him.  
  
"Maybe you haven't been contacted by the police yet, but Agent Mulder is no longer a suspect. Your sister's disappearance is no longer being considered a murder," Skinner jumps in.  
  
"Yeah, I talked to Detective Freeman a little while ago. I didn't really get the whole story, though. Once I found out they let a murderer go free, I came back here to check on my mother. I guess it's a good thing I did," Bill growls.  
  
"It turns out that all the blood found at the scene was an older sample of Agent Scully's blood," Skinner explains. "From at least a few months ago."  
  
"How did they determine that?" Charlie asks.  
  
"Agent Scully's oncologist does blood work every few months. She had an appointment on Friday just before the accident," Skinner says, bending a truth to protect Scully's pregnancy secret. "The blood found at the scene matches more closely the blood she had taken a few months ago than the blood taken last week."  
  
Mulder throws him a look of gratitude for dodging that bullet. He didn't have the energy to explain Scully's mystery pregnancy to her family at this point in time.  
  
"It turns out that I was drugged," Mulder says. "Scully and I were working at her apartment and we fell asleep. Someone came in, drugged me, and took her. I guess they planted the blood to frame me."  
  
"Who would go through that trouble?" Bill asks. "I bet this is something you've gotten her into again. You and your quest for the so called truth."  
  
"We don't know that," Mulder says, glancing over at a suddenly guilt ridden Charlie. "We don't know anything right now."   
  
"I swear this is the last time," Bill threatens him. "I'm not going to sit around and watch my sister get kidnapped every few years because of some mess you have gotten her into."  
  
Mulder clenches and unclenches his fists, desperately trying to keep a hold on his temper. But he realizes that fighting with Bill would not make Mrs. Scully happy. For her sake, he backs away.  
  
"I'll see you later, Mrs. Scully," he says politely to the woman just before he leaves. The desire to pummel Bill lessens with each step towards the car.  
  
"You okay?" Skinner asks him after they get into the car.  
  
"Fine. Let's just get out of here," he says, looking out the window. He catches a glimpse of Charlie Scully sitting out on the porch and decides to try and talk to him later. The man obviously knows something that may be useful. Mulder just hopes the information doesn't come too late to save Scully and the babies.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
The first thing she's aware of when she opens her eyes is the absence of Mulder. He must have decided not to come to bed after all, she thinks to herself. But then she becomes more cognizant of her surroundings. It just doesn't feel like her room. The steady beeping sound to her left verifies that. It's a sound only heard in a hospital.  
  
Her eyes pop open to view the sterile room she now resides in. Subconsciously, her hand reaches down to her stomach and it gently caresses the flabby pouch just starting to form. She looks around again, trying to figure out where she is when the door opens. Hopefully it's someone who can answer her questions.  
  
"Agent Scully. You've finally joined us in the land of the living." The voice tries to remain light and jovial, but it does nothing to stop the hate filled glare in her eyes.  
  
"It's you," she growls. "What are you doing here, Krycek?"  
  
"Take a good look around, Scully. Maybe the question should be what are *you* doing here," he says with a smug grin that annoys her even more.  
  
"Okay, I give up," she sighs. "What am I doing here? And where is here exactly?"  
  
"An opportunity arose for me, Scully. One I couldn't pass up," he explains. "One that required your . . . how can I put this? Let's just say I needed your cooperation. But I figured I wouldn't get it. So I did the next best thing."  
  
"You kidnapped me," she spits out.  
  
"If that's the way you want to think of it," he says with a shrug. "I'd like you to think of it as a retreat of sorts. Consider this a calm and comfortable place for you to spend the rest of your pregnancy."  
  
"You can't be serious?" She glares long and hard at him, realizing after the amused chuckle he lets out that the hospital bed and fetal monitors sort of takes away her edge.  
  
"Oh, this is very serious," he tells her, his voice taking on an ominous tone. "So serious that I won't risk these babies for anything."  
  
"Somehow I doubt you have my children's best interests in mind. What do you have to gain from this?"  
  
"Money. Plain and simple. I know you'd like to think you're being sacrificed for some grander purpose, but the truth is, I'm being compensated handsomely for this."  
  
"I don't understand," she says, shaking her head. Her hands protectively cover her abdomen as she looks at him questioningly.  
  
"You don't need to," he says as he starts to leave the room.  
  
"Krycek," she calls out to him to stop him. "Alex," she says again in a softer tone. "Please tell me what's going on. I'm really scared. And I'm sure that isn't good for the babies."  
  
With a small sigh, he stops and turns around, walking back towards her. He figures he doesn't have anything to lose by telling her his plans.  
  
"I got sick and tired of being someone's errand boy," he starts, his voice low and dangerous. "They pushed me around because I let them do it to me. I know as much, if not more, than any of those conspirators. I knew enough not to get myself killed at El Rico, didn't I? I decided it was time to make a name for myself. I had the knowledge. I just needed the power. And we all know the fastest way to get power - money."  
  
"What do I have to do with this?"  
  
"With my money making scheme? Nothing," he laughs. "You're nothing more than a glorified incubator. But in the bigger picture, your involvement could mean everything."  
  
"I'm still not following you," she says.  
  
"Scientists all over the world make discoveries about the human body on a daily basis. They find ways to cure diseases that people haven't even heard about. They even find ways to correct issues that people have heard about. Problems that they would pay anything to correct. Problems like infertility."  
  
"Are you saying I'm a guinea pig in a new infertility treatment?" At his nod, she continues questioning him. "Why not go through the proper channels and get their methods approved with the proper authorities? Why do this?"  
  
"A rubbing from an alien artifact is hardly something the FDA or the AMA would approve of," he says. "The rubbing your brother brought to you made you able to conceive again. After that, you were impregnated using the technique developed by my, let's just call them investors."  
  
"Investors," she repeats, the word spewing from her lips. "So basically you're saying you sold my body to the highest bidder."  
  
"Scully, everyone wins in this situation, he tries to convince her. "My investors get their test subject, I get my money and you get something I know you've wanted for a long time - a child."  
  
She stares off to the side of the room, wishing there was a window there to gaze out. The truth of the matter is, she has wanted a child for a long time now. Ever since she found out it wasn't possible. And now, she's pregnant. But under such bizarre circumstances. She doesn't know what to think or how to feel.  
  
"So when this is all over, I can just walk away with my children? It can't be that simple. This must be the part of the plan that has everything to do with me."  
  
"It is," he nods. "After you have successfully delivered, I'll get my money. I'll be able to get my power. But not with you and Mulder fighting my agenda at every step."  
  
"So you figure I'll be out of the way with two children to raise?"  
  
"I'm not banking on that. I know how liberated women try to be these days. Children won't stop you from working. But I know that you and their father will do anything to keep them safe. Including staying out of my way," he says with an evil smirk.   
  
"Their father? What do you know about their fa . . . " Realization suddenly hits her when she sees the gleam in Krycek's eyes. It could only be one person Krycek's talking about. Who else would he fear thwarting his plans? "It's Mulder isn't it?"  
  
"Smart girl," Krycek chuckles. "Just hope these little ones get your brains as well as your beauty."  
  
With a wink, he leaves her alone in the room. She has a lot to process. Luckily, she's going to have plenty of time to do so. Another smile crosses Krycek's face as a thought crosses his mind. He's finally gotten the advantage over Mulder. Now no one will be able to stop him.   
  
To be continued . . . 


	11. Chapter 11

Title - I Know What You Did . . .  
  
Author - Nicky  
  
Rating - PG  
  
Classification - TRA  
  
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic  
  
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati  
  
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.  
  
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Charlie knocks on the door to the apartment, surprised to see the door swing open at the first tap. He peeks his head inside the door, looking around at the messy living room. It looks like a world wind tore the place apart. He sees Mulder sitting in the middle of a pile of papers, frantically searching through the pages.  
  
"Hey," he calls out. Mulder looks up at him with blood shot eyes.  
  
"Charlie. Come in," he says, flustered at the unexpected visitor. He stands and tries to clear a path on the littered floor from the front door to the equally cluttered sofa. "Have a seat."  
  
"I actually just came by to drop this off," Charlie says, nodding to the big brown bag in his hands. "Mom asked me to bring this for you. She said that you probably haven't eaten anything since Dana disappeared."  
  
"No, I don't think I have," Mulder says with a dark smile.   
  
"It's been almost a week," Charlie says. "How do you do it?"  
  
"I may grab things here and there," Mulder shrugs, pointing to mostly full Chinese food containers and pizzas still practically whole. "There just isn't any time to eat."  
  
"Or sleep, apparently. You look exhausted."  
  
"I have to find her, Charlie. The last time, she was gone for too long. I don't think I'd be able to live without her again," Mulder says quietly.  
  
"And all because of me," Charlie says. He drops his head, too ashamed to look the other man in the eyes. "All this is happening because of me."  
  
"Charlie I told you before. Your sister and I have made enemies over the past few years. And I believe they have taken her."  
  
"But I made it easy for them by bringing that rubbing in the first place," Charlie adds. "Bill is so hard on you. He wants to blame you so much for this so he can find someone to hate. If he only knew that I'm the one he should be hating. I'm the one who got Dana into this mess."  
  
"However it happened, she's gone," Mulder says. "We have to find her and bring her home."  
  
Charlie just sighs and looks down at his hands, suddenly remembering the real reason he's there. He holds out the bag of food and Mulder takes it with a little smile.  
  
"Dig in. I've been given strict orders not to leave here until I've seen you eat every morsel of food in this bag," Charlie smiles. "You're lucky. There's some good stuff in there."  
  
"Help yourself. You can help me eat all of this. There's no way I'd be able to get through it all alone. I won't tell if you won't," Mulder smiles back. He goes into the kitchen, returning after a moment with a plate and some forks.  
  
They divide the food and start to eat. Silence fills the room as the men work through the massive quantity of food Mrs. Scully prepared. Charlie notices after a few minutes that Mulder is not doing much more than pushing the food around his plate. He's hardly eating anything. He's about to say something to the man about it when the door opens again.  
  
"Something smells good in here," a voice calls.   
  
Charlie looks up, but doesn't recognize the man standing there. He's there with two other men he doesn't recognize and one he does, Skinner. Mulder must know them, Charlie realizes with much relief once their appearance earns a smile from Mulder. Hopefully these guys can distract him a little from the agony of missing his partner. Charlie doesn't seem to be doing a very good job.  
  
"A little sustenance from Ma Scully," Mulder explains. "We would have saved you some if we knew you were showing up."  
  
"No problema," Langly says. "We brought pizza."  
  
He points to the box in Frohike's hand.  
  
"A surprise visit and you guys bring food and Skinner," Mulder says. "What's going on? I know this isn't a social call."  
  
"We found something," Byers says after getting looks from the other men. He must be the designated spokesman. "Something we think you'll find very interesting.  
  
"What is it?" Mulder asks anxiously. It must be something about Scully, he assumes. Because the Gunmen know he'd shoot them for wasting time he could be using to search for her.  
  
"It'll be easier to show you on the computer. Let me just plug in, Dude," Langly says. He goes over to Mulder's desk and sets up the laptop.  
  
"I have other news while they do that," Byers whispers to him, pulling Mulder away from the others. "The results of the DNA tests came back. Scully is definitely the mother."   
  
"How about the father? Is he . . . human? Or are these babies like Emily?" Mulder wants to know.  
  
"Oh, he's human all right," Byers laughs, noting the confused look on Mulder's face.  
  
"Someone we know?"  
  
"I'll say," Byers says, getting a cryptic look on his face. He wants to drag it out to torture Mulder more, but he decides to ease the man's torment. "It's you, buddy. Congratulations."   
  
He slaps Mulder on the back and joins the others by the computer. Mulder, still stunned, stays rooted to the spot he was in. The news comes with mixed emotions. He's happy he's the father. But disturbed that whoever is behind this can interfere so much with their lives.   
  
"I'm going to be a father," he mumbles as a dazed smile crosses his face. Scully is having his babies. The more the idea sinks in, the happier he is about the revelation. No, happy isn't the word. Ecstatic is more like it. He wants to celebrate. That thought sobers him, bringing back to his memory that neither Scully nor his children are there to celebrate with him. He's now even more determined to find them and bring them home.  
  
"What do you have for me, Langly?" Mulder asks him, his mood serious again.  
  
"If I'm right, it's a way to find Scully's location."  
  
"Seriously? How?" Mulder asks excitedly.  
  
"We've figured out a way to track her using the implant," Frohike says. "Think of it as a human lojack system."  
  
"Well? Where is she?"  
  
"She's close, Man. In Maryland," Frohike says. "But we can't figure out an exact location."  
  
"Either our coordinates are off or she's in the middle of nowhere. Literally," Langly continues. "There's nothing on the map where our data says she is."  
  
"Okay, maybe we're not looking for a building. A cave? Mines? Something underground?" Skinner suggests.  
  
Langly types furiously into the computer for a few minutes, shocking them all when he suddenly yells, "Bingo!"  
  
"What did you find?" Charlie asks.  
  
"Tunnels were dug. The city engineers intended on expanding the Metro system out that far. But the area was never quite developed as much as they anticipated and they abandoned the idea, realizing they wouldn't need the public transportation in such a rural area. It's possible they're set up down there." Langly hits the print button and distributes the information to the others.  
  
"Well, it gives a place to start looking," Mulder says, looking around for his keys as he places the paper in his pocket.  
  
"Mulder, where are you going?" Skinner's voice booms when he realizes the man is about to leave. "You need a plan. Supplies. Back up. Any of these words making any sense."  
  
"Sir, I've got to go find her," Mulder whines. "How are you going to arrange for back up? What are you going to tell them when they ask where you got your information from? That Agent Scully has a metal implant from her last abduction that made it easy for the local conspiracy theorist group to get a lock on her location using their illegal equipment?"  
  
"Dude," Langly says, his tone reflecting the obvious objection to Mulder's sentiments.  
  
"No offense, Langly," Mulder says to the pony tailed man with a shrug.  
  
"Let me worry about that," Skinner says, giving a smile of encouragement before walking out the door.   
  
"So we're waiting?" Charlie asks the other men.  
  
They turn to Mulder for the answer. He's standing at the window, watching until the assistant director gets into his car and speeds away. When he turns back to face them, they see the look of determination in his eyes and suddenly know the answer to Charlie's question. Fox Mulder is not a patient man. He has no intention of waiting for Skinner and his back up. Which is why they came prepared.  
  
"What kinds of toys you gentlemen got for me?" Mulder asks pointedly. "I know you wouldn't show up here empty handed."  
  
"Of course not. We know you too well," Frohike smiles. "We know you'd want to get there immediately.  
  
"Maybe Skinner's right," Byers chimes in, the voice of reason. "Maybe we should wait for back up."   
  
"We should. But you know that I'm not going to," Mulder says, ushering them out of the apartment, barely taking the time to close and lock the door. They practically have to run to keep up with his long strides as he races toward their van. He climbs in and finds a seat, noticing only after they pull away that Charlie is seated next to him.  
  
"I'm not going to let you do this alone," Charlie tells him. "I got her into this mess. I need to help you get her out of it."  
  
"Thanks, Charlie," Mulder says, although, he has no intention of allowing the man to accompany him on the rescue mission. He refuses to put another Scully in danger. He can't put Mrs. Scully through losing another child. He busies himself the rest of the trip with going through the equipment, getting what he'll need.  
  
Charlie, on the other hand, spends the trip in deep thought. He's never seen anyone with as much determination as Mulder. The man will do anything to save the woman he loves. Charlie just hopes that this all turns out well. Because he can't imagine either his sister or Mulder being able to live without the other. He can only pray it doesn't come down to that.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
A pregnant woman is truly a thing of beauty, Alex Krycek thinks to himself. He stares in awe at the video feed from the room Scully occupies. All she's doing is sitting in the rocking chair, hands planted protectively on her rounded abdomen. But the sight stirs something in the man. It stirs a longing he never realized he possessed. Not only for the woman. No, he's always known he's wanted Agent Scully. But seeing her like that makes him wish he were the father of her children. It makes him wish he had something to bind himself to her.  
  
"She'll never love you. Not like she loves him."  
  
Krycek turns around and finds Marita standing behind him. His very eager partner in crime in this whole thing. And by the looks of things, jealous at his apparent affection for their prisoner.  
  
"What business is it of yours?" he asks defensively. "You're just mad because you'll never be half the woman she is. It really is pathetic how many times you've attempted to seduce Mulder, but to no avail."  
  
"No, what's pathetic is how many times I settled for you, Alex," she strikes back, leaving him speechless. She's won. This round at least. They both turn back to the monitors and continue to watch Scully.  
  
"She's not going to make things easy for us. She's going to try to escape," Alex says with an almost proud grin. "That's just the kind of woman she is. That's the kind of spirit she has."  
  
He gives Marita one last knowing glare before turning to leave the observation room.  
  
Not unless that spirit is broken, Marita thinks to herself as he leaves. Not unless *she's* broken. Marita is barely able to hold back the smile threatening to spread across her face. She's about to have a little fun with the ever so loved and coveted Agent Scully.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Scully can't escape the feeling she's being watched. She glances up at the ceiling and sees a poorly camouflaged video camera in the corner. They're keeping an eye on her. So any escape attempts will have to be made quickly to avoid detection.   
  
She stands and walks to the door, jiggling the handle slightly. Locked. She didn't think it would be otherwise, but it was worth a shot. She spends another few seconds examining it to see if she'd be able to somehow pick it. It's looks electrical as opposed to mechanical. She'll have to keep that in mind. She doubts there's anything in her room that could be used to short it out, but she'll have to be on the lookout the next time someone comes into the room. If she's slick enough, she might be able to sneak something useful from a doctor or nurse.  
  
She goes back to her rocking chair, carefully pulling her IV stand behind her. She wonders briefly what kind of drugs they're giving her. But for the moment, she's decided to trust Krycek's word that her babies are safe. Removing the IV could jeopardize them. And she doesn't want to risk it.  
  
She's barely settled in her chair before the door opens. She looks up expecting to see Krycek, but surprised to see a blond woman instead. Scully wonders if she's a doctor or nurse, but dismisses both options when she notices the way the woman is dressed.  
  
"Agent Scully. You don't know me. My name is Marita Covarrubias," the woman says.  
  
"Mulder has mentioned you," Scully says, glaring at the woman warily. "He says you've been a help to him in the past. So why now are you involved in this scheme of Krycek's?"  
  
"That's complicated, Agent Scully. And probably something you shouldn't be concerning yourself with," Marita warns.  
  
"Why don't you get to the point, Ms. Covarrubias. Something tells me you didn't come in here for girl talk."  
  
"If you insist." Marita gives her a fake smile before continuing. "We saw you checking the room out earlier. If I were you, I wouldn't waste my time. You will be our guest here for as long as we want you to be. Any escape attempts will be futile. And any hopes of your partner rescuing you . . . well, let's just say he's going to be too busy to worry about coming to get you."  
  
"What do you mean?" Scully asks, unintentionally letting her guard down and showing this woman a point of weakness. "What have you done to Mulder?"  
  
"He's going to have a lot to answer to," Marita says cryptically. "The police will have a lot of questions about your disappearance. And they're going to believe Agent Mulder has all the answers."  
  
"That's ridiculous," Scully scoffs. "Why would they . . . "   
  
Her questions is cut off when Marita tosses a stack of photos into her lap. Crime scene photos. She recognizes her bedroom as the location and looks further. The room looks tossed, her favorite bedside lamp lies shattered on the floor. The next photo, however, shows something that makes her glad she's sitting down. It's a picture of a despondent looking Mulder covered in blood.  
  
"What is all this?" she asks, her hand visibly shaking, especially at the last photo. "Who's blood is that?"  
  
"Yours," Marita says with a smile. "At least, that's what everyone thinks."  
  
"There's so much of it. If they think it's mine, then they must think that I'm dead," Scully realizes suddenly. "Mulder thinks I'm dead."  
  
"Yes. That he killed you," Marita explains.  
  
"This must be killing him." Scully drops her head into her hands and cries silently for a few minutes. The next time she looks up, she sees that she is alone again in the room. Marita's gone and Scully realizes she didn't get a chance to check the woman for anything to aid her escape. Not that it matters anymore anyway. In the back of her mind, she wanted to believe that Mulder would be on the way to rescue her. But she knows that's not the case now. He's probably rotting away in some jail, believing that she's dead.   
  
The thought brings more tears to her eyes. She can only imagine how he's torturing himself, his guilt far beyond any punishment the police can give him. Images of his all too recent stint at a mental hospital flood her mind. It's an experience she never wants him to relive. Unfortunately, unless she can get herself out of there soon, a return trip may very well be in Mulder's future. She cannot allow that to happen.   
  
"Hold on, Mulder," she whispers into the empty room. "I'll get out of here and we'll all be back together soon."  
  
She rests her hands on her stomach, drawing comfort from her unborn children. She finds herself praying silently for the strength to follow through with her promise, never for once dreaming that at that very moment, Mulder is trying his hardest to make good on a vow of his own.   
  
* * * * * *  
  
The van rolls to a stop and Mulder takes a peek outside the window. They appear to be in an empty field. But he's trusting the Gunmen to have brought him to the right place. However, he asks them one last time just to be on the safe side.  
  
"Are you sure this is it, Langly?" he asks warily.  
  
"I just hacked into the metro rail database at the WMATA," Langly starts.   
  
"WMATA?" Charlie asks, obviously confused.  
  
"It stands for Washington Metro Area Transit Authority," Byers explains. "Any information on metro stops, existing or planned, would come from them. We were able to find plans for a station right here, just past the Shady Grove stop on the red line."  
  
"The tunnels have been dug, but the plans to build the stop have been put on hold indefinitely. It's the perfect place for Krycek to hide out," Frohike adds.  
  
"And since the coordinates from her implant led us to this spot . . . "  
  
"I think we get it, boys," Mulder says, stopping their lecture. They could probably go on for days now that they've got Charlie's rapt attention. "She's here some place. We just have to find a way to get in there and then to get her out."  
  
"I'm working on that now," Langly says as his fingers fly across his the keyboard of his laptop. "There appears to be a digital signal coming from whatever facility they're running down there. Give me a few more seconds and . . . there. I'm in. I'm pulling up the layout of the building now."  
  
"You guys are amazing," Charlie gushes in awe. "Who are you people anyway?"  
  
Mulder just rolls his eyes, watching in disbelief as Charlie single- handedly boosts their egos. But he shouldn't deprive them of the accolades they deserve. He doesn't give them enough credit for all they really do for him. A little hero worship from Charlie is the least they deserve. But not now. Now, it's time to go rescue Scully.  
  
"I hate to break up this little love fest, but we got some work to do, fellas," Mulder says.  
  
"You're right," Charlie says, instantly sobered. "How are we going to do this?"  
  
"We?"  
  
"Yes, we," Charlie insists. "Mulder, that's my sister in there because of me. I'm not going to let you go in alone."  
  
"He's right, Mulder," Byers reasons. "We'd feel better if someone was in there to watch your back."  
  
"Fine," Mulder relents. "Let's do this."  
  
The guys help Mulder and Charlie get the necessary equipment before watching the two take off across the field, disappearing into the tunnel entrance. They weren't just trying to appease Charlie before. They really meant it when they said they were glad Mulder had back up. Because for some reason, they feel like he's really going to need it.  
  
To be continued . . . 


	12. Chapter 12

Title - I Know What You Did . . .  
  
Author - Nicky  
  
Rating - PG  
  
Classification - TRA  
  
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic  
  
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati  
  
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.  
  
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Krycek is on his way back into the observation room, finding it impossible to stay away. As much as he's in this for the money, having this time to just stare at Agent Scully is also an added bonus. The woman is turning into an addiction to him.   
  
Just as he's walking into the room, he hears a voice calling to him from down the hall. He manages to hide the irritation he's really feeling at the intrusion before turning around.  
  
"Dr. Olanov," he greets the man in his native Russian tongue. "Things are going well, I assume."   
  
"Things are perfect. She's a fine specimen, Mr. Krycek," the doctor gushes. "I don't know where you found her, but she is the ideal host for this experiment."  
  
"Well, I'm glad," Krycek says with another phony smile. "How about we go in and check on her?"  
  
He leads the doctor into the observation room and then from the observation room into Scully's room. He notices with a wistful sigh that she appears to be asleep. He gently tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, using caution not to wake her.  
  
But she's already awake. And trying her hardest not to cringe at his touch. She figures if she pretends she's asleep, they might let something slip. And if they let something slip, it might aid in her escape. She refuses to have her babies in this place.   
  
She tries to keep her breathing deep and regular to perpetuate her fake sleeping act. It seems to work because the doctor begins to talk to Krycek. Unfortunately for Scully, they're still speaking in Russian. But she listens anyway in hopes of catching something.  
  
* * * * * *   
  
Mulder walks down the narrow passageway leading to what the Gunmen swear to him to be a bay of hospital rooms. He assumes that Scully is in one of those rooms.  
  
"That was pretty easy," Charlie whispers to him, causing a stirring of unrest in Mulder.  
  
"Yes it was," he nods, thinking about how they essentially just walked into the facility. There was hardly any security to bypass. "A little too easy. We need to stay on alert."  
  
They continue down the hallway and are just a few steps from the end when Mulder suddenly stops. Charlie crashes into from behind.  
  
"Mulder, what's . . . "  
  
"Shh," Mulder stops him, holding up his finger to his lips to silence the other man. "Just listen. Do you hear that?"  
  
Charlie listens for a few seconds, but shakes his head when he hears nothing. He points his finger down the other hall where they assume the hospital rooms are and heads off in that direction. Mulder stays where he is for a few more moments before he finally realizes what's bothering him. He has only a split second to jump on Charlie and push him out of the way before the explosion.  
  
* * * * * *   
  
"What was that?" Dr. Olanov asks as the room begins to shake. He looks into Krycek's wide eyes and panic begins to set in. "What is going on here?"  
  
"Just a minute," Krycek yells, taking a device out of his pocket. He looks at the screen and then lets out a string of Russian obscenities before turning back to the doctor. "Intruders. We've been breeched."  
  
"This can't be happening," the doctor starts yelling, using English to be sure Krycek understands him. "No one can get wind of this experiment. We must get rid of the evidence."  
  
"That's not going to be a problem," Krycek growls. "In case you missed it, a bomb just went off in here. *We'll* be lucky if we get out of here, let alone any evidence."  
  
"Well, I can't take that chance," he says, looking at Scully. "She has to be destroyed as well." The doctor pulls a needle out of his pocket and takes off the protective cap.  
  
"What is that?" Krycek asks. "You're going to kill her?"  
  
"I have no choice," the doctor says slowly. "She cannot live to expose this experiment." He sticks the needle into the IV and begins the injection.  
  
"No," they hear Scully yell, as she struggles to rip the IV from her hand. She tries to get out of the bed and make a run for the door, but she's stopped by the doctor. He grabs her and tries to stick the needle in her neck instead, but she manages to wriggle free from him. But not far enough. His hard blow to her cheek is the last thing she feels as she goes flying through the air, hitting the opposite wall with a thud and landing in an unconscious heap.  
  
Two things cross Krycek's mind. The first is a twinge of sadness at the still woman across the room. The second is the strong pull of self preservation. The doctor advances on him next and Krycek does what he has to do. The stiletto is in his hand before he even realizes, and with one quick swipe, the doctor is dispatched.  
  
* * * * * *   
  
It takes Charlie a minute or two to realize what happened. His vision is obscured by smoke and dust, but he doesn't need to see to know that this event isn't something they planned for.  
  
"Mulder," he coughs before pushing himself to a sitting position. He tries to move his limbs and is pleased to find them all working. "Mulder, where are you?"  
  
A painful groan is all he hears under a pile of rocks. He begins to move them one at a time until he uncovers Mulder's face.  
  
"Are you alright?" He takes out the bottle of water the Gunmen gave him and pours a small amount on Mulder's face to help rouse him.  
  
"Trapped," the man gasps. "Can't . . . move."  
  
"Let me find something to help move the rocks," Charlie says before standing up and looking around. He only makes it a few feet away before they hear a loud yell of "No!"  
  
"Scully," Mulder gasps again, trying to move the rocks off of himself. "She needs help."  
  
"I can see her," Charlie tells him excitedly. "She's . . . no! Dana!" he gasps, seeing her fly through the air and hit the wall.   
  
"There's a man with some kind of weapon," he tells Mulder. "He just stuck it in the back of that other guy's neck."  
  
"Go . . . get her now. Poison," Mulder struggles to say.   
  
Charlie hears the urgency in his voice and takes off down the hall to get his sister. He reaches her in practically no time, the bomb having cleared the path.  
  
"Dana," he calls to her, pressing his fingers to her neck to check for a pulse. "Can you hear me? Wake up."  
  
When she doesn't wake up, he lifts her crumpled body into his arms and heads back the way he came. His eyes are starting to burn and blur, impairing his vision. Mulder's labored breathing acts like a beacon to him.  
  
"I got her, Mulder," he tells the man. "The only thing left in that room she was in is a pile of green goo. I guess that other guy didn't die after all."  
  
"Take her . . . out. Needs doctor. Tell them . . . contact with alien blood."  
  
"What about you? You can barely breath and you're trapped. I can't leave you," Charlie insists.  
  
"She's what's important," Mulder says shaking his head. "Take her now or she won't survive. Needs cooling bath. Go now!"  
  
"Okay. But I'll be right back for you," Charlie swears.   
  
"I'm fine if she is," Mulder whispers with his last bit of strength. He watches them disappear down the hall before his eyes finally drift shut, leading him to a world of darkness.  
  
* * * * * *   
  
Scully wakes with a groan, finding herself in very much the same situation she was in before. Except for this time, she has a splitting headache.   
  
"Not again," she moans, letting out a small cry of frustration.  
  
"Dana?"  
  
That voice. It sounds familiar. She pries her eyes open and looks over to her bedside, surprised, but very glad to see her mother sitting there.  
  
"Mom," she says, blinking a few times to be sure she's not seeing things.   
  
"It's really me, Dana," she says with a slight chuckle. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"I'm cold," she says after a minute. "And my head hurts."  
  
"The doctors said there would be side effects from your treatment," her mother nods.  
  
"Treatment? For what?" she asks in confusion before the reality of the situation hits her and she begins to panic. "What about the . . . "   
  
"The babies are fine," her mother assures her, gently placing her hand on her daughter's belly. She gives her a look, though, that seems to say 'We'll talk about why I didn't know about them later'.  
  
"Are you sure?" Scully asks her, tears filling her eyes. "Where's my chart? I want to see it."  
  
"Calm down, Sweetheart," Mrs. Scully tells her daughter. "You're fine now, but it was touch and go for a while. First your blood pressure was too low. And now it's a little high."  
  
"But Mom," she starts.  
  
"Don't 'But Mom' me, Dana," the woman says sternly. "You need to calm down."  
  
"I agree with your mother," another voice says. The women look up and see an older, graying man standing at the door with a nurse at his side.  
  
"Dana, this is Dr. Franklin. He's been taking care of you," Mrs. Scully introduces.  
  
"It's nice to finally meet you, Dr. Scully," the doctor says amicably.  
  
"Nice to meet you too, Doctor," Scully says with a tight smile. "Can you explain to me what going on?"  
  
"I will," he promises. "But I need to check on a few things first."  
  
"Please, Doctor," she pleads with him. "Just tell me."  
  
"Dana, I'm concerned about your blood pressure. It's been so unstable and right now it's still on the high side," he explains to her. He whispers something to the nurse and Scully watches as the woman adds something to her IV.  
  
"What's that for?"  
  
"It's a sedative. Hopefully nothing that will knock you out. But we just need you to remain calm," the doctor says.   
  
"I'm calm," Scully insists. "Why give me the sedative?"  
  
"Dana, Honey, the past few weeks have been rather traumatic for you," her mother says. "But we know that you're going to want to know what happened. We just want to make sure it's not going to harm you in anyway."  
  
"Okay, now you're starting to scare me. Mom?" She looks at her mother, barely noticing the nurse leave and then return with someone. "What's going on?"  
  
"Maybe I can help your mother explain," Skinner says as he enters the room.   
  
"Sir. What are you doing here?" Scully asks him.  
  
"Agent Scully, how much do you remember about what has happened?" he starts, ignoring her question.  
  
"Is this a debriefing, Sir?" she asks him defensively, but changes her tone when she sees his stern expression. "Not much, Sir. Why?"  
  
"This all started about two weeks ago when you were taken from your home. Agent Mulder . . . "  
  
"Thinks I'm dead," she gasps, her memory suddenly coming back to her. "They told me when I was at that place."  
  
"Who told you?"  
  
"Krycek. And some blond woman. Maria? No, Marita," she frowns, her distaste for the woman obvious. "Sir, how is Mulder? Does he know now that I'm okay?"  
  
She notices nervous glances between her boss and her mother that rival the ones between her and Mulder. Something is going on, she realizes. Something they don't want to tell her about.  
  
"Mom?" she asks her mother, trying to catch the woman's eye, but failing. She turns to Skinner, hoping he'll tell her the truth. "Sir? Where's Mulder?"  
  
"Agent Scully, don't you want to know what happened to you?" he asks, trying to distract her.  
  
With a frustrated huff, she turns to her doctor.   
  
"Doctor, bottom line this for me. What's my prognosis?"  
  
"The elevated blood pressure is a concern. I'm going to keep you here in the hospital on restricted bed rest for the rest of the week. But you and the babies are fine. Just watch the stress."  
  
"Thank you," she says, turning back to Skinner with a 'are you happy now' look on her face. "I'm fine. My children are fine. Now tell me about Mulder. You just heard my doctor warn me about stress. Not telling me is only going to cause me more stress."  
  
"I'm not so sure," Skinner says quietly in a voice she's never heard before. It terrifies her. "Dana, it's bad."  
  
To be continued . . . 


	13. Chapter 13

Title - I Know What You Did . . .  
  
Author - Nicky  
  
Rating - PG  
  
Classification - TRA  
  
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic  
  
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati  
  
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.  
  
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
Chapter 13   
  
The look on his face almost stops her heart. And him using her first name is a bad sign. His words echo in her head. 'Dana, it's bad'. How bad, she wonders silently before voicing the question out loud.  
  
"How bad, Sir?" Her voice sounds stronger than she's feeling right now.  
  
"You were taken from your home and we all were led to believe that you were dead," Skinner starts. She almost interrupts him to tell him she knows all of this already, but she lets him continue at his own pace. "Mulder didn't . . . well, he didn't handle your disappearance well. Which I guess in hindsight was a good thing. He would have been arrested for your murder if he didn't land himself in the hospital first. He was there for about three days before he came around. And despite his grief, he figured out that you weren't really dead. He immediately began the search for you.  
  
"Nothing turned up until about a week later when the Gunmen were able to pinpoint your location using your implant. Mulder and your brother Charlie went in to get you. But something happened when they breeched the security of the facility."  
  
"A bomb," she whispers, remembering the feeling of the building trembling around her before the doctor attacked her. "There was an explosion and Krycek said it was because of a security breech. That's when the doctor tried to kill me. I fought him, but he was able to hit me and knock me out. I don't remember anything after that."  
  
"Mulder and Charlie were near the device when it blew," Skinner continues.  
  
"Charlie's fine," her mother assures her. "He carried you out of the building mumbling something about green alien goo."  
  
"Both of you were treated for exposure to a toxic green substance the Gunmen tried to convince me was alien blood," Skinner takes over again. "That was three days ago. Charlie's exposure was limited, so his treatment didn't take long. Yours was a bit more complicated with the babies and all."  
  
"And Mulder?" she asks, wondering why they keep skipping over him.   
  
"Mulder pushed Charlie to safety when the bomb exploded," Skinner finally tells her. "He was buried under some falling rocks. By the time the rescue team got to him, he was hurt pretty badly."  
  
"H-how badly?" she stutters.  
  
"A lot of internal damage. Several cracked ribs. One lung collapsed. Some intercranial bleeding. They doctors don't know how he made it through the explosion, but he did. He was even conscious for a while. Charlie spoke to him. He said Mulder's the one who told him to get you into the cooling bath that saved your life."  
  
"And how is he now?" She can only manage a whisper.  
  
"He's been in and out of surgery," Skinner confesses. "They ended up removing his spleen because it couldn't be salvaged. But they think they have fixed all of the internal injuries."  
  
"So he's alive," she says with a sigh of relief at the small glimmer of hope, either not noticing or choosing to ignore the looks again between Skinner and her mother.  
  
"He's alive, Honey," Mrs. Scully says. "But just barely. They're still concerned about his head injury."  
  
"But he's alive," Scully repeats, putting more conviction into her words. "That's all I need to know. He'll be fine."  
  
She thinks she convinces them that she believes what she's saying. She almost convinces herself. But reality tells her that she can't be sure. And despite her intentions, she fears the worst.   
  
"I want to see him," she yawns, cursing the doctor when the sedative hits her harder than expected.  
  
"Dana, you need to get some rest," her mother insists.  
  
"I need to see him," she says drowsily. "He needs me. I need him."  
  
Her last words are slurred as sleep begins to overtake her.  
  
"I know you do, Sweetie. You'll see him soon," she hears her mother promise before sleep finally claims her.  
  
* * * * * *   
  
She closes her eyes for a moment as the numbers she's looking at start to blur together. She's been at this for too long. But, sitting next to Mulder's hospital bed seemed like the perfect time to catch up on her paperwork. Even though they haven't been on a case in months, that doesn't mean there isn't any work to be done.  
  
She rolls her head around to stretch the kink developing in her neck. She arches her back to relieve the constant ache she's learned to live with. She's gotten so big this past month. After getting out the hospital, she was still restricted to bed rest for another week. She's only just recently been allowed back to limited desk duty. She goes into the office to pick up any paperwork that needs to be done and brings it here to the hospital so that she can sit with Mulder. He still hasn't regained consciousness since the bombing. But she stays by his side anyway, never losing hope that someday he will wake up.  
  
With one last stretch, she decides it's time to get back to work. Just as she lifts her pen, she hears a muttering from beside her.  
  
"Mulder," she gasps as she turns to look at him. Half the papers fall from her lap and flutter to the ground in the wake of her movement. She doesn't give them a second thought. "You're awake."  
  
"I swear this wasn't a trick just to get out of doing that paperwork," his raspy voice is barely able to whisper. Comatose for a month and he wakes with a joke. Typical Mulder, she thinks to herself.  
  
"That's okay," she says, gazing at him with teary smile. "You haven't missed much around the office anyway. Skinner has me on desk duty because of the pregnancy." She sets the rest of the papers on the bedside table and takes a hold of his hand with one of her own, the other stroking gently through his hair.   
  
"I'm sorry. I guess I let the cat out the bag. I told him about it when we were searching for you. I know you wanted to remain subtle about your pregnancy and keep it as much of a secret as you . . . " Her laughing both interrupts and confuses him and he finds himself just staring at her.  
  
"Sweetie, nothing about me is neither subtle nor a secret these days," she giggles. With a little bit of struggle, she hefts her rotund body from the chair and stands in profile for him, hands on her back and proudly sticking out her large belly.  
  
"Scully, you're huge," he says with a shocked gasp before he realizes what he said. "I mean, you look beautiful, but you're . . . "  
  
"Huge," she finishes for him while returning to her seat. "I heard you the first time, Mulder."  
  
"I didn't mean it like that," he says, biting his lip, trying in vain to hold in his tears. "I just didn't realize I had missed so much."  
  
"Oh, Mulder," she sobs, unable to stop her own tears. She grabs his hand and places it firmly on her belly, placing hers on top. "I'm so sorry."  
  
"I'm sorry, too," he whispers. She rests her head on his chest, allowing him to drop a light kiss on her forehead. "I wanted to be there for every moment. From your first craving, to their first kicks, and all the way up to when I cut the cord."  
  
"Mulder, you have almost five months to make up for the one month you missed," she tells him gently. "And you didn't really miss anything, aside from that one week I didn't want to eat anything but funnel cakes."  
  
"Funnel cakes? Seriously?" he asks, amused at her un-Scullylike craving. "Deep fried dough? Powdered sugar?"  
  
"Yep, I ate them hot out the frying pan," she smiles. "Frohike is an excellent funnel cake maker, by the way."  
  
"That should have been me," he says sadly. "I should have been the one . . . "  
  
"Mulder, don't do this. We still have plenty of time to enjoy this pregnancy."  
  
"I want forever," he says suddenly, making her sit up abruptly and just stare at him. She doesn't seem to understand him, so he repeats himself, clarifying his intentions. "I want forever . . . with you. And with them," he says, giving her stomach a gentle pat. "I want to be a father to them. And a husband to you, if you'll have me."  
  
"Mulder, are you proposing to me?" she asks, halfway in shock.  
  
"I think I am," he grins. "So is that a yes?"  
  
"This is just so . . . unexpected. So sudden," she stalls, looking nervously around the room.  
  
"Sudden? Scully, you'll be lucky to waddle down the aisle without giving birth," he chuckles. "I don't think anyone will consider this marriage 'sudden'. Just in the nick of time? Maybe. About time? Definitely. But not sudden."  
  
"You're serious about this," she says. "You don't have to do this. These are your children. I won't stop you from being a father them. If that's why you want to marry me, then . . ."  
  
"I want to marry you because I love you, Scully," he says, interrupting her. "I'm in love with you. I have been for as long as I can remember. When you were gone, it almost killed me. I don't want to risk spending another day without you."  
  
"When you were in your coma, I made vows to you, to God, and to myself that I wouldn't let another day go by without letting you know how much I love you too, Mulder," she says tearfully, stroking his stubbly chin with the back of her hand. He's so beautiful, he takes my breath away, she thinks to herself.   
  
He mistakes her silence for reticence and begins to wonder if she's pushing her too hard and too fast. But he has to know what she wants to do one way or the other.  
  
"Scully, I can't read minds anymore," he says, breaking the long silence. "You have to tell me what you're thinking. The suspense is killing me."  
  
"I'm thinking how I probably *will* end up waddling down the aisle. And how my stomach will reach the altar five minutes before the rest of me does," she smiles.  
  
"Does that mean what I think it means?"  
  
"Yes. I will marry you, Mulder," she says happily, unable to hold back both the laughter and tears of joy. "I would love to be your wife."  
  
"You have made me beyond happy," he tells her with a yawn. "Happier than I've ever been. Believe that. So don't take this personally when I tell you that I don't think I can hold my eyes open another second," he admits with a sleepy little laugh.  
  
"Of course, Sweetheart," she says with a gentle smile. She presses a kiss to his lips and he only has the energy to moan contently. "You rest now. I'll be right here when you wake up."  
  
I'll be right here forever, she promises silently as he finally loses his battle with fatigue. His eyes drift close and she finds herself smiling at the look of pure joy on his sleeping face. It matches the pure joy she feels in her heart. For the first time in a long time, things are working out for her. All her wishes have been fulfilled and all her prayers have been answered beyond anything she could have ever dreamed. She always hoped for this fairy tale ending. But now that she has it, she realizes her happily ever after is only the beginning.  
  
Epilogue   
  
He's drifting again. The feeling of free floating used to be scary. It used to remind him of that awful time he woke without her. The time when they took her from him, right from out of his arms. He used to panic, but not anymore. The drifting is good now. He's used to it. He's used to his feet never touching the ground anymore. Because now, he's in love. And not with just one woman, but with three.   
  
"Mulder, why haven't you come to bed," a sleepy Scully yawns behind him. "I just got them to sleep. If we're lucky, they'll stay down for a few hours."  
  
"I can't help it," he smiles, staring down into the bassinets at his twin daughters. Identical physically, but already starting to develop their own personalities. "They're so beautiful."  
  
"They are, aren't they?" she sighs, running her fingers through their curly reddish brown locks.   
  
"They look so much like her. Like Samantha. I remember when my mom brought her from the hospital. She looked just like this," Mulder reminisces. "And I loved her so much. Even when she was all red from crying. I didn't think I could ever love anyone that much again. But I do. I love these little girls twice as much as I thought I ever could. And I love you, Scully. For giving them to me."  
  
"I love you, too," she whispers, tears marring her voice. She wraps her arms around her husband and kisses him deeply. "Let's go to bed."  
  
With a smile, he follows her to the bedroom eagerly, happy even for just the cuddling that she's only able to do right now. They climb into bed, their bodies instinctively curling around each other. He lets out a contented sigh and with one last kiss to her forehead, allows his eyes to close.  
  
He's drifting again. But it's not from any drugs. And it isn't a dream. This is his life. His wonderful reality. And it's better than anything he could have ever imagined.   
  
The end. 


End file.
